Tyson Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, believes all hopes of a potential all-British blockbuster fight against Anthony Joshua depend on what happens when AJ goes up against Deontay Wilder.
Queensberry Promotions contacted Joshua’s representatives last week with an offer to fight Fury in September at Wembley, but Warren revealed it had been rejected.
“George met yesterday with Joshua’s management company, 258, and his team are going to wait for Saudi. I know he’s going to be fighting some time in August but they don’t want to fight Tyson – they made that very clear and that’s their choice.”
Fury versus Joshua would undoubtedly be one of the biggest nights in British boxing history and it’s a fight fans have been calling for for years. The two put pen to paper on a deal back in 2021 only for Wilder to win an arbitration case forcing Fury to face him for a third time and voiding the AJ contract in the process.
Warren believes that once again ‘The Bronze Bomber’ holds the key to any chance of fans seeing the fight in the future.
Joshua looks set to face Wilder in Saudi Arabia this December, with teams currently waiting on a formal offer from Skills Challenge Entertainment.
In an interview with iFL TV, Warren says if Wilder was to get a trademark knockout against the Brit then the chances of ever seeing Fury-Joshua would be ‘dead’.
“If he takes that fight against Wilder and if Wilder knocks him out, which may happen, then that fight is dead.
It’s lost all it’s lustre, it’s gone. It’s gone. I don’t think anybody would be interested in it because you’d have to look and see how many fights AJ has lost over the last few years, so the time to make the fight is now.
Also it’s a great opportunity for AJ, he’s fighting for the world title, not fighting a guy that Tyson’s already beaten 3 times.”
Eddie Hearn has made it clear they plan to fight in August and then, if victorious, take on Wilder in December, and that they aren’t prepared to derail those plans on the hope that The Gypsy King’s offer is genuine.