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Frank Warren Blasts Anthony Joshua: “Nonsense! Curve-ball offer is rubbish!”

Written by Rob Tebbutt on 27th January 2020.

Frank Warren has poured cold water on Anthony Joshua’s recent comments regarding an offer to face the winner of Wilder-Fury 2, labelling the unified heavyweight champions suggestions of a ‘curve-ball’ offer as ‘nonsense’ and ‘rubbish’.

Joshua, who recently regained his WBA/WBO/IBF World heavyweight titles with a clinical twelve round unanimous decision victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia, had suggested a money-spinning offer would be on the table for the winner of next month’s blockbuster rematch between WBC champion Deontay Wilder and lineal kingpin Tyson Fury – despite both men declaring a third fight has been contractually agreed for later in 2020.

This seems to have drawn ire from 67-year-old Warren, who told The Metrothat any offer would cost ‘AJ’ “millions upon millions of pounds” in step-aside fees:

“Tyson Fury, Wilder, Joshua – they all have their 2020 mapped out. Joshua has two mandatories or he vacates a title. Tyson and Wilder fight on 22 February and the loser has the right to invoke a trilogy fight. That’s in their contracts. Can things change? Of course, but it’ll be expensive to do that. And I mean really expensive.

“Whatever this (Wilder-Fury 2) fight makes, Joshua will have to match it to get the loser to step aside. That will be millions upon millions of pounds. But to talk now all glib about a ‘curve-ball offer’ is rubbish.”

With Joshua slated to face mandatory challengers Kubrat Pulev (IBF) and Oleksandr Usyk (WBO) in 2020, Warren would go on to question the 30-year-old’s motivation behind the comments, accusing the Watford-native of “playing dumb” over a potential undisputed title fight.

“It’s more difficult now to do a heavyweight unification fight than ever before. Wilder and Tyson are tied into two fights, Joshua has his mandatories. Joshua knows full well he’s talking nonsense. Is he trying to con the public? He’s certainly playing dumb. Joshua will say anything at this stage. Why did he say he’d go spar with Tyson? He never had any intention of doing that either. These fights can be made.”

Warren would continue by stating that should Fury emerge victorious on February 22nd in Las Vegas, he would “definitely want to fight Joshua” – but once again pointed to contractual obligations that would see either Wilder or Fury able to trigger a clause for a third fight.

“Wilder and Tyson don’t just talk about the big fights, they actually make them. Tyson will fight wherever he gets the most money. In his head, and my head, he’s beaten Wilder already. If he beats him again, he’d definitely want to fight Joshua, but there’s contractual commitments with Wilder. And, Joshua has got to beat Kubrat Pulev and Oleksandr Usyk!”