Frank Smith has hit out at Tyson Fury in the aftermath of Anthony Joshua’s latest defeat.
The 32-year-old former two-time world champion failed to regain the WBA Super, IBO, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles last weekend.
Joshua was on the wrong end of an inexplicable split decision against Oleksandr Usyk at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia, looking to become a three-time global ruler 11 months after being dethroned of the belts at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last September.
But ‘AJ’ lost his third fight in five after scorecards of 113-115, 115-113 and 116-112 were handed in by the three ringside judges as former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) added the aforementioned Fury’s Ring Magazine title to his collection with the victory.
‘The Gypsy King’ then slated Joshua, stating that his rematch against the Ukrainian wasn’t a great watch and just generally kicking a man while he’s down.
And after Matchroom head honcho Eddie Hearn condemned the 34-year-old’s comments earlier this week, the company’s CEO Frank Smith has gone a step further.
“I think Tyson Fury’s a complete moron.
“One day, he’s supportive, the next day, he’s an arsehole and the next day, he’s something else.”
Fury was quick to accept the in-ring post-fight challenge of a showdown for all the belts in the sport’s premier division, with Usyk calling for the WBC champion to put his title on the line in an undisputed clash for which the former has demanded a whopping £500million.
And Smith went on to say:
“Anthony Joshua is a lovely bloke. You may have an opinion on his interviews, but when you meet him –– the way he treats people and how respectful he is –– that’s what matters most.
“He said it [in the aftermath of the fight], he doesn’t want to just be respected for his fighting, he wants to be respected for the way he is as a person.
“Tyson Fury – one day, he says one thing and the next day, he says something else – it’s just all a show, isn’t it?
“This guy is a great guy with a lot of pressure on his shoulders and he deserves credit and people backing him.”