By Charles Brun: Anthony Joshua has finally spoken up and announced that he wants to fight Tyson Fury next and that discussions have already begun for them to meet in 2021.
Joshua’s comments today effectively have erased doubts in boxing fans’ eyes that he doesn’t fancy the fight with the unbeaten Fury.
IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) wanted to reaffirm that he plans to fight WBC champion Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) next in a match for the undisputed championship if possible.
Fury, 32, was critical of Joshua after failing to mention their fight after his ninth-round knockout win over his IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev on December 12th at the Wembley Arena. Immediately after the fight, Joshua spoke about different things but didn’t mention Fury.
The fact that Joshua didn’t say anything about his two-fights against the Gypsy King planned for 2021 struck Fury as him not being keen on the idea of facing him.
“The next fight I want to be for the undisputed championship of the world,” said Joshua to Sky Sports News. “That’s what I was trying to say that night. I promise you conversations & face-to-face meetings are happening.
“I basically said, ‘If Tyson Fury is the man with the belts, Tyson Fury is the man I want.‘ That basically says, ‘I’ll fight anyone who has that belt, there’s no problem with the person,'” said Joshua.
It’s up to Fury’s promoters at Top Rank and Joshua’s handlers with Matchroom Boxing to see if they can hammer out a deal to square off twice in 2021.
Two issues can potentially mess up Joshua and Fury’s plans to meet in the first half of 2021, though. Fury is still going through mediation with former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder over their trilogy match.
Tyson doesn’t want to fight Wilder again after the two failed to set-up a third match between them in 2020. Although some of the fight’s problems had nothing to do with Wilder, Fury still has no interest in facing him again, especially with him being so dangerous.
If the mediation process goes badly for Fury, he’ll have to face Wilder in the first half of next year.
Joshua has his WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk, who is owed a title shot by early 2021. Usyk has been waiting since 2018, and Joshua and promoter Eddie hearn want him to another year until 2022. Joshua will likely need to pay Usyk a huge step aside fee to get him out of the way.
“He took it how he wanted to take it. I’ve never turned away from a fight,” AJ said of Fury. “I’ve never announced a fight and not showed up.
“If Tyson Fury is down, I’m ready; I’m keen. I’ve got four of the major belts; he’s got one. I’ll take that one from him,” said Joshua.
The British boxing fans are still hoping that Joshua will face Fury in the UK, but that doesn’t appear to have much chance. Hearn says the fight will go wherever it can make the most money.
The Middle East is a likely destination for the Joshua vs. Fury fight, and it may wind up in Saudi Arabia once again.
Hopefully, for their sake, they don’t lose too many pay-per-view buys with this move, as a lot of UK boxing fans will be furious if the Joshua – Fury match doesn’t take place in Britain, and they’ll see it as an act of betrayal and greed to take it elsewhere.
Joshua, Hearn, and Fury are confident that the fans won’t turn their back on them just because they choose to stage the contest where it can make the most money.
The rush that Fury and Joshua are in to face each other and ignore their commitments to Wilder and Usyk suggests that they want to take advantage of the chance to make a lot of money. Usyk and Wilder could spoil those plans. Hence, they’re being shoved to the side to make the business fight between Joshua and Fury occur.