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Bob Arum believes it would sometimes behoove the public to take what his star heavyweight client Tyson Fury says with a grain of salt.
The WBC heavyweight titlist from England, who recently said he was retired from the sport, stirred up the news cycle recently by challenging countryman Derek Chisora to a third fight. Fury outpointed the veteran Chisora in their first meeting in 2011 and stopped him, in the rematch, inside 10 rounds in 2014.
“I’ve decided to come back to boxing because I can be the first heavyweight world champion in history to have two trilogies,” Fury said in a video posted across his social media accounts. “I’d always say I’d fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career.”
Some reports have suggested that talks were ongoing between the respective camps of Fury and Chisora, but in a recent interview Fury’s US promoter, Arum of Top Rank, stated unequivocally that there are no actual legs to such a bout, since his (and presumably Fury’s) priority is to see who wins the heavyweight title unification bout on Aug. 20 between Anthony Joshua and WBO/WBA/IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The winner of that fight would pave the way to decide an undisputed heavyweight champion.
“Of course not,” Arum said of Fury-Chisora in an interview with Dan Rafael. “Nothing. What are we, crazy? Everybody is waiting for the fight to happen a week from Saturday and then we’ll explore whether it’s feasible to do a fight for the complete unification. He’s having fun, for Christ sake! Don’t take it seriously!”
Fury, who has been trained by Sugarhill Steward in his last three fights, also said that he is linking up with a new trainer in featherweight Isaac Lowe in his “comeback” against Chisora. Arum pointed out that he thinks not even Lowe takes Fury’s latest proclamation seriously.
“The truth is that he gets up in the morning and he figures how he can best stir up sh!t and that’s what he does,” Arum said. “You think Isaac takes it seriously? Of course not, for Christ sake! (Fury) is just having fun. It’s his idea of fun.”
“He’s getting a little antsy as we all are because we’re waiting (for Joshua-Usyk outcome),” Arum added.
Arum has previously stated that a Fury-Usyk fight would be much easier than a Fury-Joshua fight to make because the former would not involve Eddie Hearn, who currently co-promotes the Ukrainian.