Tyson Fury has again pressed Anthony Joshua to sign on for the long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown, saying he has already put his name to the fight while AJ has yet to commit. Fury made the demand immediately after his win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Joshua was watching from ringside.
Fury said he does not want to set a deadline but made clear his stance: either Joshua wants the fight or he does not. He told reporters he signed the contract months ago and expected Joshua to follow suit, describing AJ’s response after the fight as hesitant and noncommittal.
Instead of entering the ring or confirming a date, Joshua remained seated and offered no definitive yes. Fury said the boxer appeared ‘shell-shocked’ and evasive, adding that if the roles were reversed he would have jumped into the ring and demanded a face-off. The veteran star complained that after a decade of speculation, there is still no certainty about when — or if — the fight will happen.
Confusion over timing was compounded when Netflix briefly posted that Fury v Joshua was set for the autumn. Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, replied that they were not aware of such confirmation, and promoter Frank Warren said only Joshua could verify the scheduling, indicating one man was holding the fight up.
At his post-fight press conference Fury issued an ultimatum: if the next opponent is not Anthony Joshua, he will step away from boxing again. He joked about putting on weight and ‘eating a thousand Easter eggs’ if forced into retirement, but was serious about making the AJ bout the defining fight for British boxing. Until Joshua signs, Fury says the matchup remains unresolved.