Tyson Fury, out of action for over a year and lacking a date for his planned clash with Anthony Joshua, tells ESPN that he’s fighting twice in 2021 no matter what.
“They’ve had a full year to try and make this fight happen,” Fury said. “Since the last Wilder fight, even before the Wilder fight, they were talking about a fight potentially between me and Joshua. They’ve had a full year to make something happen, and it hasn’t happened as of yet. It is what it is. We’re no further forward today than we were a year ago.
“The way [COVID-19] is at the moment, I don’t think [negotiations] got much to do with the fighters. It’s to do with the venue, date, place, site fees. It’s to do with everything but the fight itself.”
“If that fight doesn’t happen this summer, it’s got to happen sooner or later,” Fury said. “But Top Rank has to give me two fights this year. I will fight two times on [Top Rank network partner] ESPN. I don’t care who it is. If it’s not Joshua, we’re looking to fight in April or early May, and the end of the year. If it is Joshua, then June and the end of the year. Bang, bang. So, 2021 is looking bright.”
Eddie Hearn claimed 10 days ago that they were “finalizing the finer details.” On the 5th, he said that they “hope[d] for an official announcement” within two weeks, a deadline that’s come and gone without a trace.
After a long, unproductive stretch of time spent trying to put together a trilogy match with Deontay Wilder, Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO) elected to stay busy with a December 5th matchup against unbeaten Agit Kabayel. That collapsed when Wilder’s team entered mediation to enforce the rematch clause, which Fury and his team insisted had expired.
Now, Fury faces the prospect of entering the biggest fight of his career at the end of a massive layoff.
“It was just a big mess-up,” said Fury, on the Wilder trilogy. “I should have boxed, because I’ve been so inactive. I’ve been out for over a year. By the time I fight again, looking at maybe June if this Joshua fight happens, that will be a year and six months out of the ring, which is not ideal preparation for any superfight.”
Whatever comes of this, we’ll keep you guys appraised.