By Charles Brun: Tyson Fury turned down Anthony Joshua’s request to fight on December 17. Fury says that Joshua must agree to fight on November 26 or December 3, as those are “take or leave” dates.
If Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) doesn’t accept either of those dates, Fury says he’ll have missed his chance because he’ll go ahead and face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship in February or March.
Joshua is understandably trying to get as much time as possible to rest and prepare for the Fury (32-0-1, 23 KO) fight, as he is coming off a loss to Usyk on August 20.
Fury driving an extra two or three weeks to get Joshua back into the ring suggests that he wants him to be ill-prepared and still exhausted from his grueling fight against Usyk.
It says a lot about Fury that he is trying to get Joshua back in the ring as quickly as possible after his loss. Obviously, there has to be a lack of confidence on Fury’s part for him to try to get Joshua into the ring as quickly as possible.
“November 26 at Wembley or December 3 at Cardiff. Those are the dates, take or leave,” Tyson Fury said on Instagram about his possible fight with Anthony Joshua.
Another take it or leave it offer from Fury. If you’re Joshua, you must be tempted to walk away from negotiations after hearing Fury’s clumsy negotiating tactics.
When the shoe was on the other foot, the last time they tried to negotiate you didn’t hear Joshua give the needy Fury take it or leave it.
“I have November 26 at Wembley or December 3. [at Principality]. One is 11 weeks and the other is 12 weeks,” Fury told talkSPORT. “If a professional athlete who’s been pushing himself all year can’t get fit in three months, there’s a problem.”
“The opportunity is there, and it won’t be after this because I’ll be busy fighting Usyk for the undisputed championship next year.”
“He is coming off a 12-round fight; he is fit. He has three months to prepare for this fight…there is no real reason for it not to happen unless he feels he is not up to the task,” Fury said.
