There are just a small handful of truly big fights left to make in the heavyweight division. One of them is still Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.
Although Joshua has lost his three world titles and has been less than stellar for much of his run since 2018, going just 4-3 in his last seven bouts, he’s still a powerful boxing presence, especially in his native UK where he still rules the box office and the pay-per-view market. An all-Brit encounter between AJ and The Gypsy King would not only sell, big-time, in the UK, but it would be a major financial success all over the world.
According to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, the one-time heavyweight top dog is willing to take on Fury in a clash that would bring “massive” money to both fighters.
Fury, as he continues to hype his bout with former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou on October 28 in Saudi Arabia, however, says he’s not interested in entertaining the idea of a fight with the former 3-belt champ.
“I don’t really care what he says,” Fury recently told The Daily Mail in response to the idea. “He’s a bum in my opinion. He’s just one big bum-dosser that has been knocked out three times.
“He’s been knocked out twice and had three losses. He can’t even compare in my league anymore. It’s not even a fight I am thinking about anymore. I’m not even interested.
“That bubble has been burst. His virginity has been taken away so it’s not interesting for me anymore. He’s been spanked by Usyk twice and been beaten by a fat man. So it’s not in my interest to beat him.
“I am fighting a guy who is in his prime, who is a champion, who is bigger than him, who is stronger than him and who is a bigger knockout puncher than him.
“He needs to get to the back of the queue. That fight is gone, it’s dead. That fight was off the cards as soon as he got beaten.”
Although wheels were apparently in motion a few times to get a Fury-Joshua bout put together in the past, disagreements and general disregard bust up negotiations each time.
Still, the fight does carry significant weight and Hearn is still trying to find some road to getting the big ticket fight back into consideration.
“Fury said he’s not interested in undisputed and that he thinks Usyk is rubbish,” Hearn told The Daily Mail.
“He said he’s only interested in the big boys. But, who are the big boys? If it’s not Usyk and AJ, who is it? They are two massive fights.
“It frustrates me because if Fury beats Usyk and AJ, he goes down as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. He will have beaten Klitschko, Wilder, AJ and Usyk. And, it’s massive money for both fights. It’s not like the money is bad for those fights. I don’t get it. I’ll never get it.”
Fury, though, is not concerned with what Hearn, Joshua, or the critics think.
“Haters are going to hate. I am getting a bag. I am getting a f***ing big bag too. So, I won’t feel bad when I am cashing my check in.
“I won’t care when I am eating ice cream and marshmallows all day drinking Pina Coladas. I’m not thinking, ‘what about those boxers?’ and all that s***.’
“So, yeah, haters are going to hate. Everyone famous has haters. I’m sure Van Gogh had his haters too but I can’t name any of them today so that just shows you. We’ll be alright.”
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