Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua still miles apart on mega-fight

Tyson Fury stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11 and immediately called for Anthony Joshua to get in the ring. Joshua declined. The British heavyweight showdown that has been a decade in the making remains unsigned, with conflicting accounts emerging from both camps about who is holding things up.

According to the BBC, Fury's team insists they have put pen to paper while Joshua has not. Netflix inadvertently fanned the flames by posting that the fight was set for autumn in the UK, a claim Fury's promoter Frank Warren quickly walked back. Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh, who was ringside, had been speaking as though an announcement was imminent before the fight even started.

Joshua declines to play Fury's callout game

Fury leaned over the ropes post-fight and beckoned Joshua forward. Joshua stayed in his seat. "He didn't want the smoke," Fury said backstage, per the BBC report. "He came ringside to make the fight. 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."

The case for Joshua taking an interim bout first is straightforward. Fury just returned from his fifth retirement with what amounted to a tune-up, while Joshua has only faced Jake Paul in the past 18 months. Joshua also survived a serious car accident in December that killed two close friends, a trauma he referenced when pressed on the Fury fight. "I was in a serious incident maybe four months ago," he told viewers.

Fury acknowledged the mental toll but dismissed the idea of waiting. "We've all had problems — that's life," he said. "Taking interim fights, you can get chinned by anyone." He added that if Joshua is not next, he is done with boxing entirely.

Croke Park in Dublin has been floated as a potential venue if the fight materialises. Fury returns on Netflix later this year under a reported three-fight deal, but he insists only one opponent interests him. The sport has until late 2026 to deliver the biggest British heavyweight clash of the generation — or watch it slip away for good.

Source: bbc.com