Tyson Fury casts doubt on Anthony Joshua unification bout despite Bob Arum comments

Tyson Fury jumps into the sea despite cold conditions

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Tyson Fury has suggested that his highly-anticipated heavyweight unification fight with Anthony Joshua may not be as close to fruition as previously reported. A meeting between the two British champions has been in the works for some time, with Fury’s promoter Bob Arum claiming earlier this month that a deal has been agreed and is ready to be signed off.

Negotiations are believed to be at an advanced stage, with only a few details including the fight date and location yet to be ironed out.

Both Fury and Joshua have repeatedly expressed their desire to face one another over the last few months.

The eventual winner of the bout would become the first undisputed champion of the division since Lennox Lewis in 1999, with all four versions of the heavyweight title up for grabs.

Although all the murmurs since Joshua’s victory over Kubrat Pulev in December have pointed to a unification fight happening sooner rather than later, Fury has poured cold water on the possibility of an imminent announcement.

The ‘Gypsy King’ told IFL TV that a number of potential setbacks could still put an end to negotiations, claiming that Arum and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn are only talking about the bout in order to maintain the buzz and anticipation surrounding it.

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“Eddie Hearn’s a boxing promoter, so is Bob Arum. It’s their job to sell the fight,” said Fury, who has not entered the ring since his win over Deontay Wilder in February of last year.

“Joshua is saying what he’s saying, I don’t know what he’s saying, I’m not on social media at the moment at all. So whatever they say is very unimportant to me.

“Until I’ve got a date, a fight date, and a hell of a load of money in my pocket, there’s no fight. There’s a lot of things going on, that people don’t know [about] behind the scenes, that could scupper a fight like that.

“So nothing’s actually on until you’re actually in the ring. We’re nowhere near that at the moment.”

When pressed on what he could do in order to push through a deal, Fury argued that his hands are tied as he is not involved in the crunch talks between Arum and Hearn.

He stressed that nothing is imminent, but expressed his belief that he will eventually trade blows with Joshua at some point regardless of how current talks proceed.

“It’s out of my hands, it’s nothing to do with me,” added Fury. “Nothing to do with me at all, I’m just a boxer.

“There’s a lot of things behind the scenes going on like I say that can alter a fight.

“Do I think I’m going to be fighting Joshua in the next ten minutes? Hell no. Do I think the fight will eventually happen sooner or later? Yes.

“It has to happen, but do I think it’s imminent, right next minute? No, I don’t. We’ve seen Mayweather and Pacquiao, how long did that go on for?”

Fury is yet to taste defeat in his professional career but could face his toughest challenge to date against Joshua, who has just one stain on his otherwise unblemished record.

The Watford-born fighter was sensationally stopped in 2018 by Andy Ruiz Jr, a result that was successfully avenged a year later.

Fury’s closest shave came in the final round of his first meeting with Wilder, when he was brutally knocked to the canvas by the big-punching American.

The 32-year-old somehow rose to his feet to see out the fight, which ultimately ended in a controversial draw.

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