Anthony Joshua has pointed to the fact that ‘deadlines weren’t met’ when asked about why negotiations with Tyson Fury’s camp for a December fight didn’t bear fruit.
Whilst talks began positively and ‘AJ’ seemingly accepted all terms put forward by Fury to challenge for his WBC belt on December 3, the fight didn’t materialise and both heavyweights are going their separate ways. In the final days of negotiations, ‘The Gypsy King’ made headlines by announcing deadlines for Joshua’s team to sign the contract.
With the above in mind, Fury will undoubtedly feel that his demands being missed were the catalyst for the breakdown. Catching up with IFL TV, Joshua agreed with that, before saying that his team needed more time.
“Not opinion, facts. Deadlines weren’t met. That’s it. In its simplistic form, deadlines weren’t met.
The geezer just wants to fight, he wanted to fight on a certain date. Half of it was right. When you’re dealing with a situation that’s so big, that we’re in, it’s not a simple fight, it’s a big fight.
I could go into further detail, but basically it needed a bit more time and he wanted to fight on a certain date. So the deadline he set for someone with my capacity weren’t fit for the date he had in mind – December 3rd.”
As for who’s to blame for talks being halted, Joshua – unlike the promoters who have been keen to point to the other side – doesn’t want to play that game.
“It’s like we’re on a playground. Some people say him, some say me. [The fight] will happen. It will.”
The former champ’s mature approach to it all bodes well for a fight in the future, but doesn’t do much to appease fans who feel let down yet again by one of the only sports that can constantly not make the best compete against the best. Tyson Fury faces Derek Chisora on December 3 in London, and ‘AJ’ is expected back out in March of 2023 with an opponent yet to be confirmed.