Fury-Joshua fight still uncertain despite Tottenham callout

Tyson Fury called out Anthony Joshua from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ring after his April 11 win over Arslanbek Makhmudov, but the all-British heavyweight clash remains unsigned. According to BBC Sport, Team Fury claims they've put pen to paper while Joshua has yet to commit, extending a saga that has now stretched across ten years without a contract being finalized.

Fury beckoned Joshua into the ring during his post-fight celebration. Joshua stayed ringside. Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh, who promotes major cards in the region, had spoken before and after the bout as if an announcement was imminent, per the BBC report. Netflix, which broadcast Fury's comeback, even posted about an autumn UK date on social media before promoter Frank Warren walked it back.

Why Joshua might want an interim bout first

Backstage at Tottenham, Fury told reporters Joshua "didn't want the smoke" and warned that if the fight doesn't happen next, he's finished with boxing. "If it isn't AJ next, I'm not interested in boxing again," Fury said, as BBC Sport first reported. "It's either him or I'm gone."

Joshua spent much of the past 18 months away from elite competition, fighting Jake Paul and dealing with a December car crash that killed two close friends. BBC Sport noted Joshua reminded viewers he'd been in "a serious incident maybe four months ago." An interim fight could give him ring time without the pressure of a Fury build-up, though Fury dismissed that logic by saying interim bouts carry their own knockout risk.

Possible venues are already circulating. Croke Park in Dublin, with its 80,000-seat capacity, has emerged as a leading candidate. The Netflix broadcast, which tied into season two of At Home with the Furys, brought heavyweight boxing back to a mainstream platform with 325 million global subscribers. Whether that audience ever sees Fury and Joshua share a ring depends on Joshua signing the contract Fury says is waiting for him.

Source: bbc.com