Tyson Fury has sensationally claimed that his long awaited fight against Anthony Joshua is in serious jeopardy.
On Thursday, confirmation finally arrived that Fury and Joshua’s all-British heavyweight showdown will take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday December 11 following months of protracted negotiations to stage the biggest fight in British boxing history.”
Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh announced the details had been ironed out for the two foremost heavyweights of their generation to collide but Fury has made the astonishing claim that the fight could be called off.
“Breaking news, Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out the fight,” said Fury.
“They’re saying they’re not going to fight now. It’s mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego. He’s making up a million different things and threatening ‘we’re not gonna fight’,” said Fury.
“Now the Gypsy King is coming back to the United Kingdon to thrash you in front of all my fans in Wales, and now you are making a million excuses.
“Now you’ve got Turki Alalshikh finding alternative, real men who will fight at the drop of a hat. I hope you are happy.”
Joshua and Fury, both former heavyweight world champions, have had a long-running rivalry, punctuated by callouts and trash talk but marred by the difficulty of finalising a deal.
Recent events in the ring had also threatened to derail it. Joshua’s tune-up bout in July almost ended in disaster when little-known Kristian Prenga knocked him down twice in the first round. Joshua rallied to dispatch Prenga in the second round.
Fury’s road to the fight has also been unusual. He announced his retirement after losing a rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and, after a year out of the sport, began training in Thailand. In April he came back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London when he soundly outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov.
He decided he wanted his own additional warm-up in July and boxed Mariusz Wach in Thailand in a non-TV bout, eventually stopping the veteran after seven rounds.