Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury in talks for September fight at Wembley

By Boxing News - 05/26/2023 - Comments

By Robert Segal: Tyson Fury has confirmed that talks are underway for a fight against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in London, England, in September. The WBC heavyweight champion Fury says he sent Joshua a “draft copy” for him to review.

Assuming the deal gets done, the winner of the Joshua vs. Fury fight, provided they’re not too banged up, will move forward to fight in December against either Deontay Wilder or Oleksandr Uyk in Saudi Arabia.

Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) posted the news of his negotiations with Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) on Instagram today, saying that this time, he won’t put out a lot of tons of vids and pressure him to quickly sign.

Last year, Fury arguably foiled his own efforts to make the fight with Joshua by setting two deadlines.

It seemed to some that Fury was trying to humiliate Joshua in front of the whole world to show everyone who he was calling the shots against the more popular fighter, who had made a lot more money in his career and enjoyed great success early on before things started falling apart for him beginning in 2019.

“A few days ago, I sent a draft contract to Anthony Joshua for a fight in September at Wembley Stadium. It’s a fight that everyone wants to see, including myself. Come on, AJ, let’s give the world 🌎 what they want to see. This time I won’t make a million videos & keep putting pressure on. The ball is now on your side,” said Tyson Fury on Instagram today.

This fight makes more sense for Fury than AJ because he would be the favorite, but you can’t count Joshua out. Styles make fights, and his ability to fight on the inside may be too much for Fury, who mostly mauls his opponents by grabbing and leaning on them like a greco Roman wrestler.

It’s good that Fury is showing that he’s seemingly grown up a little and is finally beginning to act his age. He’s failed three consecutive times in big-money fights, striking out against Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, and Andy Ruiz Jr.

Fury’s popularity has taken a bit hit, with boxing fans losing interest in him because of his inability to negotiate fights against the more appealing opposition. Sure, Fury can continue to make good money fighting guys like Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte.

Still, his popularity is diminishing, as we’ve seen with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fans rapidly lose interest when popular fighters are no longer facing the best.

“A Tyson Fury – Anthony Joshua heavyweight title fight is being discussed for September in the U.K,” said Mike Coppinger to ESPN. “The talks began this week between Fury’s promoter, George Warren.