The CEO of Matchroom Boxing has had his say on the potential of Tyson Fury facing Mahmoud Charr – a long-rumoured alternative should the Anthony Joshua negotiations fall through.
Talks between Fury and Joshua’s camps have apparently been al productive ever since the idea of the fight was floated. That all came crashing down this week as Fury set a deadline for ‘AJ’ to sign. The challenger missed it – although according to him he has always planned to sign when the contract process was complete – and Fury took the deal off the table.
Since then, the WBC Champion has re-opened talks with Joshua, giving him ‘one last chance.’ However, at the same time, he has been offering the fight to number 19 ranked contender, Mahmoud Charr – a man who has fought twice in five years. Should the ‘AJ’ fight be dead and gone, Charr looks like the most likely opponent for the current world champion.
And, much like many fans, Frank Smith isn’t too excited about the prospect. He told Boxing Social it was a ‘terrible fight.’
“If Tyson Fury wants to make a decision to fight Mahmoud Charr, that’s up to him. I think it’s a terrible fight and I think they’ll struggle … I don’t think Mahmoud Charr will do any numbers. I don’t think it’s a fight people are excited for, but you know, so be it.”
Asked if the Principality Stadium in Cardiff – the venue currently held for Fury’s December 3 fight – was a good fit for a Charr scrap, Smith didn’t think so.
“We’re not in the Tyson Fury promotional business, so it’s not really our business where they want to do it. I think it may sell out an arena, it doesn’t sell a stadium. But, look, that’s their business. Maybe Tyson Fury believes he sells out against Mahmoud Charr and good luck to him.”
All of this may be irrelevant should Smith and his team at Matchroom be able to keep negotiations for Joshua to get the fight alive – although ‘The Gypsy King’ is making things increasingly confusing with his interjections on social media.