John Fury, father of Tyson, has admitted that he would welcome a drink with Anthony Joshua, despite the rivalry between his son and the two-time heavyweight champion.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been in a long-term battle for a number of years, unfortunately for boxing fans, it is a battle of words, outside of the ring, as opposed to a legendary domestic dust-up inside the ropes.
The Gypsy King claimed to have given Joshua the chance to fight for the belt this year, but after setting a strict deadline, contracts couldn’t be agreed in time, leading to a collapse in negotiations. This week, Fury did reinstate his offer of one day fighting AJ for free.
All the history hasn’t stopped John Fury from admitting his admiration for the former unified champion.
In an interview with iFL TV, the WBC champion joked that his father is best friends with his rival and that he should sever all ties with Joshua, but the 58-year-old insisted that he has no issue with the Watford-born power-puncher.
“I’d be privileged to go out for a drink with AJ, I’m my own man, I say what I want to say.
This is a sport, we are in a boxing game, AJ is a nice kid. He has given us a lot of pleasurable nights, he has been a good world champion and let me tell you something, if the kid gives me props, I can only thank him can’t I?
I’d only be a p***k to say anything else wouldn’t I? I am me, my son is him, I know my son is the best in the world by a country mile, but it doesn’t stop me liking anybody and AJ is a likeable guy isn’t he?”
John Fury also admitted that a clash between his son and Joshua would be bigger than the expected fight against Oleksandr Usyk, which would historically crown a first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. Although, Tyson maintains that his fight with the Ukrainian is worth “twice as much”.
