By Tim Royner: Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren says the goal is to get the 29-year-old fighting 4 times in 2018 to get him back to the form he was in the past. Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) hasn’t fought in close to 3 years since 2015.
Warren sees the Fury vs. Joshua fight as being a big money generator, and he feels the money should be evenly split. Getting Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn to agree to that notion may prove to be next to impossible. Joshua makes big money fighting lesser fighters.
Warren is working on setting up Fury’s comeback fight for April 14th or April 16th. The opponent is still unknown. It’s not important at this stage for Fury to fight a quality guy. He needs to get his timing back given that he’s been out of the ring since his win over Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.
If he can fight 4 times this year, it would be an impressive fete. Fury hasn’t 4 times in a year since 2011. That was a long time ago before the 6’9” Fury made a lot of money in boxing. With all the distractions that he has now, it could be difficult for him to get back in the ring 4 times.
Warren wants to get Fury ready for an eventual mega-fight against unbeaten IBF, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs). Warren states that Fury rates a 50-50 deal against Joshua as the revenue. At least that’s what the target goal is, Whether Fury gets 50 percent of the purse remains to be seen. It would be in Fury’s best interest to fight 4 times this year and try look as good as possible in each fight. If Fury can shine against his opposition, it’ll increase his chances of getting the 50-50 deal that Warren is looking for.
“He’s lost weight, about five stone and looks great,” Warren said to the Independent.co.uk. “His mindset is right, he’s ready to go. The name of the game is to keep him busy. We will get him out, fighting regularly. We will aim to get him out four times in the first year back.”
Fury’s last 6 wins of his career have come against these fighters:
• Wladimir Klitschko – November 2015
• Christian Hammer – February 2015
• Dereck Chisora – November 2014
• Joey Abell – February 2014
• Steve Cunningham – April 2013
• Kevin Johnson – December 2012
For a popular fighter, Fury really hasn’t fought too many quality heavyweights during his 10-year pro career. The only good fighter that Fury has beaten is Wladimir Klitschko, and he was 40-years-old at the time and without his trainer Emanuel Steward, who passed away years earlier.
Joshua, 28, has a unification fight against WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker on March 31. Joshua will need to win that fight for a fight against Fury to be worthwhile in 2018. The fight could still happen, but Joshua might need to accept less than a 50-50 deal. Fury wants a 60-40 split right now. If Joshua loses to Parker, Fury’s chances of getting the 60 percent split of the revenue will surely increase.