Fury taunts Joshua as unification bout looms

TYSON Fury has accused Anthony Joshua of dodging a huge unification contest after he was asked about a fight with his British arch-rival following his win over Kubrat Pulev.

Anthony Joshua 

Joshua knocked out Pulev in the ninth round at Wembley Arena to set up two potential mega-fights with his fellow British heavyweight champion next year.

But Fury laid into Joshua after his impressive display for refusing to fully declare his interest in a mega bout next year during his post-fight interview, insisting that the ‘legacy of the belts’ was more important to him than the opponent.

In a video on Twitter posted in the immediate aftermath of Joshua’s victory, Fury declared: ‘Anthony Joshua just s*** himself live on television.

‘He got asked did he want the fight, and he went round the bushes and put his a*** on the edge. I want the fight – I want the fight next.

‘I’ll knock him out inside three rounds. He’s a big bum dosser – can’t wait to knock him out.’

The pair are headed for what could be the most lucrative bout in boxing history in 2021 after the Gypsy King’s trilogy battle against former victim Deontay Wilder, which had been scheduled to take place this month, was abandoned.

Both British heavyweights have agreed in principle to fight twice next year, and Joshua’s meeting with Pulev was the most obvious non-contractual hurdle that needed to be overcome to ensure they will go ahead.

Bob Arum, of US promotion giants Top Rank, revealed after the fight that he expected negotiations to begin next week.

Referring to the unification fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, which is known as ‘The Fight of the Century’, Arum tweeted: ‘It looks like the stage is set for the biggest heavyweight championship fight since Ali-Frazier in 1971, when Tyson Fury meets Anthony Joshua for the undisputed crown.

‘We at Top Rank will start on Monday, working to put that fight together.’

Fury and Joshua have repeatedly attempted to antagonise each other about the fight, most recently when the WBC champion told the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO title holder that he would ‘smash his face in’ last week.

Joshua had goaded Fury into making the threat by telling him that he could become a ‘superstar’ by joining him among the ranks of promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom stable.

Hearn has repeatedly talked up the meeting between the pair, which is most likely to take place in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at Wembley, Hearn said: ‘We are going to be friendly – we are going to make that fight with Tyson Fury.

‘That is the the biggest fight in boxing, that is the biggest fight in British boxing history. AJ is the best heavyweight in the world.’

When Joshua bumped into Fury as the undefeated 32-year-old drove through Marbella in July, Sportsmail revealed that they told each other to win their next fights in order to set up a pulsating all-British clash.

Asked who he wanted to fight next after outclassing Pulev, Joshua said: ‘You ask the crowd what they want to see.

‘Whoever has the belt, I want to compete with them. If that is Tyson Fury, then let it be Tyson Fury.’

Fury’s father, Peter, predicted: ‘If Anthony Joshua lands on anybody, they are going down.

‘But those punches that landed on Pulev would not land on Tyson Fury. I thought Joshua was a bit tentative, and he is too upright.

‘He does not have the lateral movement. But it would be a pick-em fight (with Fury).’  – www.dailymail.co.uk