A deal for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua to finally happen this summer is apparently very close – but ‘The Gypsy King’ doesn’t seem too convinced.
Promoters Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum have both said they expect contracts to be signed in the next few couple of weeks. That would see the biggest fight in British boxing history take place in June, likely in the Middle East.
Fury doubts AJ
Fury though has long doubted whether Joshua actually wants to fight his fellow rival for all the heavyweight marbles. And on Friday he took to Twitter to again pose the question.
He posted a poll to ask simply: “Does AJ have the balls to fight me?”
Fury offered fans two possible responses to vote for:
- Yes he does and he will
- No he will find a way out
Does AJ have the balls to fight me?
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) February 12, 2021
Not surprisingly, all boxing fans on Twitter have a view on this thorny topic, and they were quick to get voting.
Around 10 minutes after Fury posted the poll, more than 13,000 had already had their say.
Only 42.6% believed Joshua will go through with the big Fury showdown. Meanwhile 57.4% think he will find a way out instead.
Fury vs Joshua deal close
The excitement over a Fury vs Joshua matchup has been frenzied for months now – ever since last June. That is when the pair announced they had agreed in principle the financial structure for a two-fight deal. Their first fight will see a 50-50 revenue split and the winner will take a 60-40 share from the immediate rematch.
Once contracts are (hopefully) signed, the next steps will be to finalise the venue and TV details. The bout will happen outside the UK with COVID-19 restrictions making it impossible to fill a venue like Wembley Stadium.
The UK pay-per-view rights are expected to be shared by Sky Sports Box Office, which has an exclusive deal with Joshua, and BT Sport Box Office, which has a matching rights deal with Fury.