Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua remain stuck in limbo

Tyson Fury says he has signed a contract to fight Anthony Joshua and is ready to walk away from boxing if the bout does not materialise next. Joshua, meanwhile, is still weighing his options after a difficult few months that included a December car accident which killed two close friends.

Following Fury's one-sided win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Friday, the former champion leaned over the ropes and called Joshua into the ring. Joshua stayed ringside. Fury's team — and Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh, who has been driving the negotiations — appeared to expect a different response. Netflix even posted on social media that the fight was set for autumn in the UK before promoter Frank Warren shut that down, as the BBC reported.

Joshua's trauma and Fury's ultimatum

Backstage, Fury made his frustration clear. "If it isn't AJ next, I'm not interested in boxing again," he told reporters, per the BBC. "It's either him or I'm gone." He added that Joshua "didn't want the smoke" and questioned why the fight remains unsigned after a decade of hype. Joshua, for his part, reminded viewers he was in a "serious incident" four months ago that changed everything. The crash claimed the lives of two people close to him, altering the emotional stakes around any return.

There is an argument for Joshua taking a tune-up bout first. Fury shook off ring rust against Makhmudov — a dangerous puncher, if limited — while Joshua has not faced elite-level opposition since fighting YouTuber Jake Paul 18 months ago. A lower-pressure outing could allow Joshua to find rhythm without the scrutiny of a Fury buildup. Fury, though, warned that interim fights carry their own risk. "You can get chinned by anyone," he said.

The sport has already lived through Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a fight that shattered records but felt too late. Fury-Joshua, once destined for 2019 or 2021, is now a decade in the making. Venues are being floated — Croke Park in Dublin, with its 80,000-plus capacity, has emerged as a frontrunner — but no deal is done. Fury returns Saturday on Netflix in season two of At Home with the Furys. Whether Joshua joins him in the ring this year remains the question British boxing cannot answer.

Source: bbc.com