Tyson Fury felt so comfortable cantering past comeback opponent Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 11 that he showboated during the fight, won a lopsided unanimous decision, and then sent a verbal challenge to his career rival Anthony Joshua who was in a relaxed position ringside.
If it were supposed to generate a cinematic moment for Netflix like what DAZN captured when Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis stormed the ring to confront Vergil Ortiz earlier this year, then it failed. For one, because Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn barely responded to Turki Alalshikh, and Joshua refused to answer the call-out in a simple yes or no fashion.
But his comments suggested, though, that there were multiple reasons for him to refuse a response to the challenge.
The way in which boxing financier Alalshikh spoke to Hearn, together with Fury’s call-out of Joshua, effectively imploring both to enter the ring, suggested all parties were set to provide Netflix with a cinematic face-off DAZN benefited from when Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis stormed the ring to approach Vergil Ortiz, after the Golden Boy boxer’s emphatic win over Erickson Lubin, earlier this year.
But Hearn didn’t seem to know what was happening, and Joshua appeared unfazed.
To cut a long story short, there appears to be no deal, and Joshua did not commit to fighting Fury immediately, considering he has other options in the form of a warm-up first — something Fury effectively just had against Makhmudov.
There is also the issue of Joshua’s head-space. Though he remains present as an observer in his country’s biggest fights, it was only four months ago when he was a passenger in a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends. For Joshua, he continues to deal with things in life.
Ultimately, when a contract is signed, he hinted, there’s an official fight.
Everything outside of that is noise.
Watch part of the interaction right here:
Joshua has not fought since a knockout victory over the internet sensation, Jake Paul, before Christmas, 2025.
The ambassadorial heavyweight was set to fight Rico Verhoeven in February but his accident in Nigeria delayed any return to the ring, with the kickboxing icon instead moving on to a May showdown with Oleksandr Usyk at the Pyramids of Giza, in Egypt.
Joshua always had other options, with promoter Hearn saying for months that they were expecting to fight Fury at the end of the year.
Even Deontay Wilder emerged as a possible “warm-up” for Joshua following the American puncher’s two knockdowns and decision win over Chisora, earlier this month.