Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua still on different pages after callout

Tyson Fury stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and called out Anthony Joshua immediately after. Joshua did not respond.

Fury leaned over the ropes and beckoned Joshua toward him, the BBC reports. Joshua stayed in his seat. When Fury urged him into the ring, Joshua remained put. Before the fight, Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh told reporters the announcement was imminent. Netflix posted on social media that Fury-Joshua was set for autumn in the UK. Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, denied the bout was confirmed.

Backstage, Fury told the press Joshua "didn't want the smoke," per the BBC. "If it was me, I'd have jumped in the ring. Ten years in the making and still there's uncertainty if it's going to happen next."

Has the Fury-Joshua window already closed?

Team Fury says they signed the contract and Joshua has not. The project has been in development since 2016. The perfect moment belonged to 2019 or perhaps 2021, when both men held world titles. Now both are past their peak. Fury has a three-fight deal for this year but said there is only one fight he wants. "If it isn't AJ next, I'm not interested in boxing again. It's either him or I'm gone," he said.

Joshua has a case for taking an interim fight. Fury returned from his fifth retirement with what amounted to a warm-up against Makhmudov. Joshua has only fought Jake Paul in the past 18 months. Joshua also survived a car accident in December that claimed the lives of two close friends. "I was in a serious incident maybe four months ago," Joshua said as pressure mounted on him to agree to Fury's demands. A lower-stakes contest could allow Joshua to rediscover rhythm without the suffocating spotlight.

The wait cannot go on much longer. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao broke records when they finally met but the fight fell flat. Fury's return on Netflix brought boxing back to a mainstream platform with 325 million global subscribers. Fury-Joshua would draw even greater numbers. Croke Park, with its 80,000-plus capacity, has emerged as a leading venue.

Source: bbc.com