Tyson Fury drops Anthony Joshua fight update with plan made clear | Boxing | Sport
Tyson Fury has urged Anthony Joshua not to jeopardise their £150million blockbuster once more by taking on Deontay Wilder. Fury and Joshua have been destined to meet for over a decade.
He is prepared to face Wilder after the American challenged him following his victory over Derek Chisora last weekend. But Fury has appealed to the Olympic champion, who is anticipated to be at ringside this weekend, to hold off for him instead.
“If it happens, great, if it doesn’t happen, also great,” Fury told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I’ve got Arslanbek Makhmudov to think of on Saturday night, but all going well [Joshua is] the fight I want next.”
He also added: “I know he just had his fight with Jake Paul, whatever… a fight’s a fight really. So yeah, I’ll be ready for that straight away after this.”
In another interview in north London, Fury said: “That fight was supposed to happen so many times over the last 10 years, but then someone has had one more fight in between or someone has been knocked out or injured. Forget Wilder, the man is a shell of himself, and forget anyone else. Let me get through Saturday and then we will do the fight before the end of the year.
“I’ve been out of the ring longer than he has, I’ve had 16 months out of the ring so let’s do it, let’s dance. I think we should get this fight on as soon as possible, in case something happens in between. Anything can go wrong in heavyweight boxing, there are no easy fights; and if you get knocked upside down, it’s finished, it’s done. I want the fight next and I am sure AJ feels the same.”
Fury, meanwhile, appears set to face Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without his father John in his corner. The Fury patriarch has been a near-constant presence by his son’s side since his release from prison in 2015. However, he has claimed the former world champion is “finished” as a fighter and revealed their relationship has been “destroyed”.
Fury made clear he is unconcerned whether his father shows up to make amends this weekend. “I’m unaware of what has happened but he’s entitled to his opinion,” he added. “Just like everyone is and I’m sure he’ll change it a million times over and over again. I haven’t really paid attention to it because I take it with a pinch of salt.
“He might have been upset, he might have been a bit down or he might have been depressed. I don’t know what he was going through. I don’t know if he will turn up and I don’t care.
“I’ve got business to take care of and who’s in the crowd is not important to me at all. All I am going to be thinking about is Arslanbek Makhmudov and looking forward to it and getting the job done.”
