Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua crunch talks to take place TODAY
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua final talks are happening TODAY as Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn look to finalise the Battle of Britain in December… after AJ confirmed he WILL sign the contract following Gypsy King’s Monday deadline
- Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are edging closer towards a Battle of Britain
- Fury made a shock offer to Joshua after his defeat vs Oleksandr Usyk last month
- The two fighters’ teams have been negotiating terms over the past few weeks
- But Fury set AJ and Eddie Hearn a deadline of 48 hours to finalise it on Saturday
- Hearn then cast doubt over the heavyweight clash being sealed by Monday
- That was before Joshua took to social media to insist he will sign the contract
- Talks between two camps are set to be held today with negotiations rumbling on
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s respective teams are set to hold crunch talks over their proposed Battle of Britain today – following a rollercoaster weekend which saw the two camps go back and forth with ultimatums, counters and insults.
The heavyweight rivals are edging closer towards a long-awaited showdown after Fury threw down the gauntlet to Joshua in the wake of his second consecutive defeat against Oleksandr Usyk last month.
After Usyk revealed he will not be ready for an undisputed clash with Fury until early next year, the Gypsy King turned his attention to AJ ahead of his proposed return to the ring in December.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are edging closer towards a Battle of Britain in December
And since releasing a shock call-out video on Twitter earlier this month, Fury’s promotional outfit – spearheaded by Frank Warren – have been locked in talks with Joshua’s representatives.
After Joshua agreed to a 60-40 purse split in his opponent’s favour, which if he prevails will drop to 50-50 for the contracted rematch, the first major hurdle for both teams to overcome was a date.
The former unified champion requested December 17, only for Fury to come back with November 26 and December 3 as the sole options available. ‘That’s the dates, take or leave,’ he said.
On September 13 Joshua’s management company 258 then confirmed they had agreed to all of the suggested terms for the bout, which is headed for Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, yet following the death of Queen Elizabeth II all communications were temporarily brought to a halt.
Despite the pause in negotiations, Fury is running out of patience to seal his mega-fight with AJ, and over the weekend he took aim at both his domestic foe and promoter Eddie Hearn over their delay in signing the contract.
Joshua is in talks over another heavyweight title shot after his defeat vs Oleksandr Usyk
Fury is ready to defend his WBC heavyweight title against his British nemesis this year
The WBC heavyweight chief first ripped into them in a fiery video message on social media, having initially pointed the finger at Usyk and branded his fellow champion a ‘s***house’.
‘And of all the s***houses,’ he continued, ‘that big bodybuilder Anthony Joshua – that’s a proper s**thouse that is. Haven’t signed the contract for I don’t knows how long and ain’t signing it. You little sausage.
‘You don’t want to fight, your manager’s a sausage I’ve never seen anything like you. However, I will be fighting on December 3rd if this sausage doesn’t sign the contract, and I don’t think he is [going to].
‘I don’t think he’s got the b****cks to because he’s a s**thouse. Both of you, a pair of sausage shithouses. Joshua is a s**thouse, Usyk is a s**thouse, youz are all s**thouses.’
One day later, Fury followed up that verbal attack by issuing an ultimatum to Joshua, telling his fellow Brit he had a mere 48 hours to sign the contract and get their eagerly-awaited grudge match over the line.
But the Gypsy King lashed out at Joshua and Eddie Hearn in a video message on Friday
He then issued an ultimatum to AJ and Hearn while at the Joe Joyce vs Joseph Parker fight on Saturday, telling the pair they had 48 hours to seal the fight
‘They’ve had the opportunity to agree to this fight for about a month I’d say,’ he said ringside at Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker’s heavyweight scrap on Saturday night.
‘They’ve had the contract for over a week, still not signed, still a few more excuses they’re gonna come back with. We’ll know more on Monday I think, the two broadcasters are gonna meet on Monday and then we’ll know from there. If it’s not done by Monday then I’m moving on.
‘I’m not waiting around for some guy who’s lost three of his last five fights, he’s lucky that I’m giving him a world title shot.
‘I’m sick of setting deadlines. They either want this poxy fight or they don’t. I was just saying to somebody else before I don’t mind inviting these people to my party but they’re not gonna come to my party, my banquet, and try and dictate to me. They either wanna do it or they don’t. And if they wanna do it: sign the contract and if they don’t: do one.’
With Fury’s patience wearing thin, fears that his proposed clash with Joshua may not materialise arose amongst fans who have been longing for the two to collide for the best part of six years.
And when Hearn responded to the ultimatum by admitting there is ‘no chance’ it will be agreed by Monday, the fight almost looked dead in the water.
But Hearn (right) hit back by insisting there is ‘no chance’ the fight will be agreed by Monday
During an interview with Seconds Out, the Matchroom boss claimed Fury is bluffing by handing them a deadline to secure the fight, instead suggesting he wants to face German heavyweight Manuel Charr on December 3.
‘The conversations have been decent and are moving in the right direction, but there is a long way to go,’ Hearn said.
‘Fury wants to fight Manuel Charr, it’s pretty obvious, and the public are not the brightest if they actually think otherwise.
‘I think there is no way this contract gets signed on Monday because there is still a lot to be done.
‘This fight takes time. We waited 10 days to get the contract…all of a sudden he wants it signed in 24 hours. No chance.’
Fury has since given Hearn’s claim legs by promising Charr a crack at his WBC title should talks with Joshua hit a snag, saying on Monday: ‘If he don’t sign today, you are in big G. And you can show them how a real man throws down.’
Should he follow through with his promise to pull the plug, a mouthwatering matchup between Britain’s two leading heavyweight forces of the last decade could fall by the wayside definitively.
Yet, Warren is still holding out hope of an agreement being reached today despite Hearn’s scepticism, reassuring fans that he is ‘optimistic’ it will still go ahead.
Speaking to BBC Sport about the contracts, the 70-year-old said: ‘We are meeting on Monday and I am hoping on Monday we will get it over the line.
On the other hand, Fury’s promoter Frank Warren is optimistic a deal will be done by then
Warren says Joshua and his team have very much indicated they want the fight in December
‘I don’t think there are a lot of issues. The only thing I think I can hold it up at the moment is the broadcasters. BT are on board to do it so I am sure we can get it over the line.’
He then added: ‘I am an optimist. AJ said he wants to fight and if he tells his team I want the fight it will happen.
‘We’ve agreed the financial terms, we’ve said they can be involved in all the contracts, we’ve said they can be involved in setting the budget for the undercard.
‘We’ve let them into everything. So, there shouldn’t be a reason why it shouldn’t go ahead. This week we’ve got to be announcing something. Definitely this week. I’m hoping by Monday we get it sorted.’
Crunch talks between the two parties are therefore in store at some point today, with a major breakthrough required to ease Fury’s fears that his time is being wasted.
And Joshua himself has reassured Fury that he will be signing the contract in due course
Nevertheless, Joshua took to social media himself on Sunday to stress that he will be signing his contract in due course, capping a rollercoaster weekend of ups and downs by declaring the Battle of Britain very much on.
‘I’ve been signing contracts for years. It ain’t in my hands, it is with the legal team, that’s why you hire lawyers,’ AJ said in a video message.
‘You know the history of boxing, make sure you get your legal terms right. That’s why you have good management and good lawyers.
‘Of course I’m going to sign the contract, it’s just with some lawyers at the minute.’
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