John Fury, the father of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson, wants his son to vacate the title he won from Deontay Wilder last year to pursue the so-called ‘Battle of Britain’ with fellow UK heavyweight Anthony Joshua.
Fury and Joshua, the two men who hold all the marbles in boxing’s heavyweight frame, appeared destined to meet in the biggest unification fight in a generation in August after a location and date was finally set after more than a year of intense negotiations.
A spanner, however, was placed into the works when an independent arbitration panel ruled that American fighter Wilder was contractually guaranteed a third fight with Fury which they said must take place prior to September 15 – meaning that the Fury-Joshua contest is to be delayed even further.
But with the contract now signed for Fury-Wilder III, which is due to take place on July 24, Fury senior has said that his son should have considered dropping the WBC title he holds in order to avoid a third fight with Wilder, whom he defeated by seventh-round TKO last year.
“I’ve told him, in a phone conversation, to chuck the belt in the bin,” Fury told British broadcaster BT Sport.
“Let them have it, come back and fight AJ on the 14 August like was planned. But I’m nobody, unfortunately, so it falls on deaf ears.”
It had been reported that Wilder had been offered a so-called ‘step aside’ fee to allow the Fury-Joshua fight to take place unimpeded, with some suggesting the fee offered was as much as $20 million.
Wilder refuted those claims – and has since noted on Instagram that “revenge is priceless” as he seeks a measure of payback against the only fighter to have defeated him in his professional career.
Fury, though, says that the requirement to fight Wilder for a third time – and at relatively short notice – could significantly hinder future plans for the Joshua fight, considered by most to be the biggest bout in the sport at the moment.
“For my money, it’s a mistake,” Fury said. “Anything rushed is no good and that’s been rushed. He was fighting AJ, I want him to fight AJ, I’ve no interest in Deontay Wilder, so why’s he going to fight Wilder?
“I’m just concerned whether Tyson can raise his game for Wilder, whether he gets complacent, makes a mistake. It’s got every chance of going wrong out there because I don’t like how it’s been handled.”
Joshua, meanwhile, must now face mandatory challenger and former undisputed and undefeated cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in his next bout.
