Don’t count on a British heavyweight matchup between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua this year.
“The Gypsy King” took to social media today to announce that he is getting over the showdown after the self-imposed deadline of 5 p.m. Monday to sign a contract came and went. Fury set the deadline for Friday and said he would move on to other options for his next fight.
“Well guys, it’s official. D-Day has come and gone,” Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) said in an Instagram video on Monday.
“It’s officially over for Joshua. Now he’s out in the cold with the wolf pack. Forget it.”
Fury went on to run over his compatriot, calling the former two-time unified heavyweight champion an “idiot, coward, piece of shit… and a bodybuilder.”
Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), who is coming off back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, had previously said his side had agreed to the terms of the fight and announced Sunday in an Instagram live video that he intended to sign. the contract, but that the combat agreement was being reviewed by his legal counsel.
“It is not in my hands, it is in a legal team. That’s why you hire lawyers,” said Joshua, who is 32 and two years younger than Fury.
Joshua has yet to respond to Fury’s latest post.
The passing of the deadline comes as little surprise as Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, said there was “no chance” the contract would be signed on Monday while the contract was being reviewed.
“If you don’t [want to make the Joshua fight]and I guess he doesn’t, so he’s going to do what he’s going to do and the fans might even fall for it,” Hearn told Seconds Out.
Fury, the WBC and lineal champion, last fought in April, stopping Dillian Whyte in six rounds at Wembley Stadium. Fury quickly announced his retirement from boxing, but almost immediately went back to discussing future fights. Fury had publicly called for a fight with newly crowned RING Heavyweight Champion Usyk, but Fury claimed the undefeated Ukrainian was “running, hiding” after a similar deadline for the fight to pass on September 1.
