Tyson Fury has set a deadline of Monday, September 26, for Anthony Joshua to reach a deal for their proposed December 3 “Battle of Britain” bout.
Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs), who says he is retired but still holds the WBC heavyweight title, dropped the challenge for Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) after Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk. for the second time in a row. on August 20 in Saudi Arabia.
“I was optimistic about three weeks ago, but it shouldn’t take that long to sign a contract,” Fury said from the crowd at today’s Joyce vs. Parker fight in Manchester.
“We’ll find out on Monday, anyway, because if it’s not done by Monday, I’m going to move on. I’m not expecting a guy who has lost three of his last five fights.
“He’s lucky I’m giving him a world title shot. I don’t mind throwing him a bone, but I don’t want them to start dictating shit to me. He is a guest at my party. My rules. If you want to play the game, come to the banquet and have a seat.”
If Fury doesn’t fight Joshua and still fights in December, which makes it look like he definitely hasn’t retired! – then it is not very clear where I would look.
The WBC does not have a mandatory challenger to contend with. Andy Ruiz Jr just beat Luis Ortiz in an eliminator, and the upcoming October 15 fight between Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius is another eliminator, with PBC obviously looking to set up Wilder vs Ruiz next year, either as a final eliminator. or, preferably for them, a fight for the vacant title.
Fury has talked about the possibility of fighting Derek Chisora again, so that could be an option, and maybe Oleksandr Usyk would be back in the mix; maybe not in December, but maybe in the late winter or early spring of 2023.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn also recently touched on the fight in an interview and seemed to agree that the fight needs to be done quickly.
“They have sent us a contract that had quite a few problems,” he said. “We’ve sent him back to Queensberry to get it right. Everyone is practically working. I have nothing bad to say about them and I don’t think they either. Time is key now, we have to move.”
