Tyson Fury has urged Anthony Joshua not to be sidetracked by a possible Deontay Wilder bout and to prioritise their long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown.
The former world champions have been linked for years but have yet to meet in the ring, and Fury says the fight should happen as soon as possible. “I don’t think he should have [a tune up bout]. I think we should get this fight on as soon as possible, in case something happens in between,” he said, adding that the fight has been postponed many times after plans for extra tune-ups led to injuries or other issues.
Fury, who faces Arslanbek Makhmudov in a comeback fight on Saturday, pointed out that Joshua had a December bout — an unexpected contest with Jake Paul — while Fury has been out of the ring for 16 months. “You’ve had the warm-up fight in December and I’m having one here now. I’ve been out of the ring longer than he has, 16 months out of the ring. Let’s do it, let’s dance,” he declared.
Casting doubt on Wilder’s standing, Fury said: “Forget Wilder, the man’s a shell of himself, it’s sad to see, forget anybody else. Let me get through Saturday night and we’ll do the fight this year. I can’t say fairer than that. Forget everybody else.”
He warned of heavyweight unpredictability: “The problem is, in heavyweight boxing, anything can go wrong, there are no easy fights. They’re all hard and if you get knocked upside down then it’s finished, it’s gone.”
Joshua attended Deontay Wilder’s win over Derek Chisora at the O2 last weekend, but Fury is unsure whether AJ will be at his Tottenham Hotspur Stadium fight. “If the man comes fair play, if he doesn’t, I understand. It is what it is. Everyone in life does what they have to for them,” Fury said. “They don’t do it for other people, they do it for themselves, especially in business. If he comes he comes, if doesn’t he doesn’t. No skin off my nose who turns up.”
Fury insisted he wants the Joshua fight next but said his immediate focus is on Makhmudov: “I want the fight next and I’m sure that AJ will feel the same. But most of all, I’ve got Arslanbek to deal with and then we’ll sort all that out afterwards. Ifs, buts and maybes, who knows?”