WBC heavyweight king Tyson Fury has publicly ruled out the possibility of a unification clash with Anthony Joshua taking place before a third bout with Deontay Wilder.
Speculation has been rife as to whether the ‘Bronze Bomber’ would be willing to take a step-aside fee to accommodate an all-British blockbuster, but Fury says he still expects to face the American for a third time before the year is out.
Speaking to Mark Wright on Instagram, Fury said: “We’ve got the rematch with Wilder at some point. Then we’ll have the two AJ fights. We’ll have one then, obviously when I batter him, he’ll want a rematch.
“Some newspaper reported that [Wilder] wanted $10m to step aside. I’m not paying him to step aside. I’d rather take his scalp again. I’ll beat him in the ring and that’s how I’ll get him out the way. I wouldn’t pay him. I’d rather give him another battering.
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
“I’m going to take him out again, hopefully at the end of the year. Then, we’re going to go into 2021 for the biggest fight in boxing history between two undefeated [sic] British heavyweights. We’re going to battle it out for all of the gold.
“There used to be a three-headed monster in this division. It was me, Wilder and Joshua. Then Ruiz knocked out Joshua and burst that bubble. Then I broke in the Bronze Bomber. Three became two, and two became one.”
Fury, who previously suggested that he would hang up his gloves once his Top Rank deal expired, appears to have had a change of heart, stating that he will fight on beyond his remaining two-fight agreement because “There’s nothing else to do”.
“Now, I’m a standalone soldier,” said Fury. “They all need to go through me now, and it’s not an easy task because I guard the gate. Initially, I had three fights left on my contract. I’ve got two left now. I’m just going to keep going because there’s nothing else to do really. I’m 31 years old, fit as a fiddle and in great mental spirits.
“I train three to four times every day. What else am I going to do with my life? There’s plenty of fights out there. You’ve got Dillian Whyte, Jarrell Miller, Pulev, Ruiz, Ortiz, Dubois, Joyce. There’s loads.”