By Charles Brun: Tyson Fury is bellyaching about being inactive since last year, and he’s saying it’s not ideal for him to be going into his “superfight” with Anthony Joshua with him being out of the ring for so long.
Fury says he will be fighting two times in 2021, and get this, he doesn’t care who it is.
The way Fury is making a big deal about his inactivity, he seems to be hinting that he’s not eager to share the ring with IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs).
The closer the Joshua fight gets, the more Fury is sounding like a guy that doesn’t fancy it and is looking to squirm his way out. If Fury doesn’t feel like he’s ready to face AJ, he needs to speak up already and let Top Rank and Matchroom know that he wants more time to prepare.
Rather than complaining about his inactivity, Fury should just tell them straight that he doesn’t want the Joshua fight yet.
It wouldn’t be an issue with Fury’s activity if he had made the fight with Deontay Wilder in the first quarter of 2021. But no, Fury says he doesn’t want to fight Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) now, and it’s done to a mediator.
“I should have boxed because I’ve been so inactive. I’ve been out for over a year,” said Fury to ESPN in complaining about his inactivity.
“By the time I fight again, looking at maybe June if this Joshua fight happens, that will be a year and six months out of the ring, which is not ideal preparation for any super-fight.”
It doesn’t sound good with the way Fury is harping about the subject of him being inactive. Instead of Fury being a good trooper about it, he’s whining night and day and sounding bitter.
Well, if you’re Fury, there’s a positive that can come from him being inactive for over a year. Look at it this way: If Fury gets beaten up by Joshua in June, he’ll have a great excuse to tell his boxing fans because he’ll able to blame the loss on being inactive for 16 months.
That excuse will fly with a lot of impressionable boxing fans, and they’ll give Fury a pass for him losing to Joshua by a knockout.
It certainly won’t hurt the interest fans will have in a rematch between them because they’ll buy into Fury’s attempts to dodge accepting responsibility for his impending defeat.
“It’s got to happen sooner or later,” Fury said about his unification fight with Joshua. “But Top Rank has to give me two fights this year.
“I will fight two times on ESPN. I don’t care who it is. If it’s not Joshua, we’re looking to fight in April or early May, and the end of the year. If it is Joshua, then June and the end of the year,” said Fury.
Unfortunately for Fury, it’s too late for him to back out now of the Joshua fight, and he’s going to have to do the best he can under the circumstances. Things are never going to be perfect.
Like I said, if Fury gets knocked out by Joshua, he’ll have an excuse to get a free pass with the fans.