Why Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua remain stuck in limbo

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are still no closer to sharing a ring despite another ringside confrontation at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After stopping Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11, Fury leaned through the ropes and gestured for Joshua to climb in. Joshua refused to engage. According to the BBC, Fury later complained that his rival "didn't want the smoke," insisting he has already signed a contract while Joshua has not. Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh had spoken beforehand as if an announcement was imminent, and Netflix briefly posted that the fight would happen in autumn before Frank Warren shot down the claim.

Should Joshua take an interim bout before facing Fury?

Fury returned from his fifth retirement with what amounted to a warm-up against Makhmudov, while Joshua has only faced Jake Paul in the past 18 months. That gap means AJ could enter a Fury showdown having spent long stretches away from elite opposition. More pressingly, Joshua was involved in a December car accident that killed two close friends. "I was in a serious incident maybe four months ago," he said, per the BBC report. A lower-stakes contest might allow him to regain rhythm without the scrutiny that comes with Fury's spotlight.

Fury acknowledged each fighter carries personal struggles but dismissed the value of tune-ups. "Taking interim fights, you can get chinned by anyone," he said. He also drew a hard line on his next move, telling reporters that if the Joshua fight does not happen, he will walk away from boxing entirely. "If it isn't AJ next, I'm not interested in boxing again," Fury stated.

The clash has been a decade in development without ever reaching the ring. The ideal window was 2019 or 2021, when both men held multiple belts. Now the question is whether the sport will allow an entire heavyweight generation to close without delivering the fight British boxing has demanded since either man first won a title. Croke Park, with capacity north of 80,000, has reportedly emerged as a frontrunner venue. Fury returns to Netflix on April 12 with season two of At Home with the Furys, tying his comeback to a platform with 325 million subscribers. Whether Joshua signs on remains the final piece.

Source: bbc.com