Tag: Fury vs. Joshua

Anthony Joshua rules out Mike Tyson fight because ‘people would boo’

Anthony Joshua has ruled out the prospect of facing boxing great Mike Tyson on his return to the ring.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on SportingNews.com.

***

Anthony Joshua has ruled out the prospect of facing boxing great Mike Tyson on his return to the ring as he believes no fan would want to see the current heavyweight champion prevail.

Former undisputed world champion Tyson, now 53, is reportedly ready to fight again in exhibition and charity bouts. And UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz and Joshua’s heavyweight rival Tyson Fury both claim to have been offered bouts against Iron Mike.

But Joshua, who reclaimed his belts against Andy Ruiz Jr in December, is not interested in facing a legend of the sport.

“With all due respect, I wouldn’t [fight Tyson],” Joshua told The Sun. “Even if I fought Iron Mike and beat him, I think I’d be the only one cheering. People would boo. He is a legend. He is the greatest boxer of the modern era. There are only two recognized champions the world knows of, [Muhammad] Ali and Mike Tyson, the most recognized faces in the world when it comes to boxing.”

Joshua also talked about a different Tyson — Fury.

The boxer insists he has respect for Fury, even as he aims to unify the division.

“I don’t want to be in that position where I am talking down Tyson Fury,” Joshua told The Sun. “He is a great person, and he has done great things in boxing, but until the day we fight, that is where it ends, and I don’t have anything else to say about him.

“I really want the belt, and that is where I stand with Tyson Fury.”

Tyson Fury confirms desire to make Anthony Joshua fight happen

Tyson Fury reiterated that he wants to face Anthony Joshua but reminded everyone that they must win their interim fights first.

Tyson Fury assured fans they’ll see an all-British heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua – if Deontay Wilder and Kubrat Pulev cooperate.

Fury vs. Joshua is the biggest possible fight in boxing but it can happen only if Fury defeats Wilder in their third fight and Joshua beats Pulev. Promoters are planning to stage those two fights before the end of the year, assuming coronavirus restrictions allow it.

“If I get knocked out by Deontay Wilder, then it won’t be on, will it?” Fury told Sky Sports. “It will be another fight with Wilder and so forth and so on. If he loses to Pulev, so close, but so far away. In heavyweight boxing, you can never count your chickens before they hatch, so one fight at a time, one victory at a time.

“All going well, God-willing, we get on the big fight with me and Joshua, the all-British showdown and I can give the fans what they want to see, especially the British fans. It will be the biggest fight since I believe Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno. It was a while ago, Cardiff Arms Park.”

Joshua has made it clear that he also wants to fight Fury. Joshua holds three of the four major belts, Fury the fourth.

“Yes, come fight me,” Joshua said. “If you really want to say you’re No 1, come fight me. Let’s get it on. I’ve got the rest of the belts so it only makes sense. I’m the unified heavyweight champion of the world, he’s the WBC champion. What it will prove, me and him fighting? There will be one dominant figure in the heavyweight division that will have all of the belts and become undisputed.

“Logically to prove yourself as No 1, I have to fight Tyson Fury. He has to fight Anthony Joshua.”

Anthony Joshua on facing Tyson Fury: ‘Just another opponent’

Anthony Joshua says he would approach an all-British heavyweight title-unification fight against Tyson Fury as just another fight.

Anthony Joshua acknowledged that an all-British showdown with Tyson will be perceived as a monumental encounter. From his perspective? No big deal.

Joshua even suggested in an interview with Britsh GQ that a meeting with Fury would’ve even be the biggest fight of his career. His biggest moments so far are victories over Wladimir Klitschko and Andy Ruiz Jr., the latter in a rematch of his stunning knockout loss.

“You know what? There are going to be bigger fights [than Fury] because I’m not going anywhere,” Joshua said. “I’m here to make history. I’m hungry and fired up. Fury is just another opponent at the end of the day. Yeah, it’s going to be big for everyone else, but I have to keep myself together and look at Fury like he’s just another fighter.

“But in terms of the spectacle, the trash-talking, two juggernauts coming together, I can’t wait.”

Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) won his first heavyweight title in spectacular fashion in April 2016, stopping then-beltholder Charlos Martin in only two rounds. Then, after two successful defenses, he got up from a knockdown to stop Klitschko in 11 rounds and become a major star.

He looked all but unstoppable in three subsequent title defenses and then disaster struck last June. A chubby Mexican-American got up from his own knockdown to put the champion on the canvas four times and stop him in seven rounds.

Everything Joshua had built had come crashing down. How he responded would determine the direction in which his career would go. And he responded well, easily outpointing an ill-prepared Ruiz in December to regain his titles and some of the respect he lost six months earlier.

Next up are separate fights for Fury and Joshua, who are expected to face Deontay Wilder and Kubrat Pulev before the end of the year at sites to be determined if the coronavirus pandemic allows it. If they win, they presumably will face one another in that huge event.

“I’ve tasted what being at the top of the mountain feels like, and I’ve tasted what being knocked off the mountain feels like,” he said. “I’ve climbed my way back up, and whoever steps in front of me now will know that I ain’t looking to go back down.

“So when I’m fighting Pulev and get the opportunity to fight with Tyson Fury for the WBC championship of the world, I think they are going to see what it feels for a man to have had it all, lost it and got it back. A man who has experienced those turbulences doesn’t want to go through that again.”

Eddie Hearn wants Deontay Wilder out of way when Fury-Joshua deal is struck

Eddie Hearn wants Deontay Wilder to be out of the picture when his fighter, Anthony Joshua, negotiates to fight Tyson Fury.

Eddie Hearn wants Deontay Wilder completely out of the picture when he sits down for negotiations for a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Wilder was rumored to have been offered $10 million to step aside as Fury’s next opponent so “The Gypsy King” could go directly into an all-British showdown with Joshua, assuming Kubrat Pulev, Joshua’s scheduled opponent, also agreed to a deal.

That notion was dismissed by Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter. The step-aside offer is fiction, he said. And Hearn wouldn’t want it anyway. Presumably, had Wilder agreed to step aside, he would’ve  demanded the right to face the winner of Fury-Joshua.

Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has a two-fight series between Fury and his client in mind.

“I think Bob Arum said in an interview … he doesn’t know where this number [of $10 million] has come from,” Hearn told IFL TV. “[Wilder has] said in interviews he won’t step aside. And with everything happening in terms of the uncertainty over the future of the world, let alone boxing, he’s not going to want to step aside.

“We also don’t want to enter into a deal where we say, ‘Oh, when we beat Tyson Fury, we have to face Deontay Wilder and he has to get 40%.’ Deontay Wilder is out. He’s done. He’s just a voluntary challenger. We want a clean slate when we enter into a deal, whether it’s a one-fight deal with Tyson or a two-fight deal. But when AJ beats Tyson Fury, we don’t want an obligation to fight Deontay Wilder. What’s he got to do with it?

“He’s done. He’s beaten. He’s just been knocked out. If he beats Tyson Fury, then we want to fight Deontay Wilder. But if he doesn’t, he’s just back into the rankings. He’s not coming into a fight with the undisputed champion. So in that respect it’s a lot easier for us just to have a clean slate, and everybody is on the same page with that as well.”

Fury knocked out Wilder in seven rounds in February, after which Wilder exercised a clause in their contract that allowed for a third fight between them. They are expected to meet again before the end of the year, as are Joshua and Pulev.

Kubrat Pulev has designs on spoiling Anthony Joshua’s plans

Kubrat Pulev, Anthony Joshua’s next opponent, and his team say he might end being the one faces Tyson Fury next.

The momentum is building toward a lucrative two-fight, title-unification series between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

One potential problem? Kubrat Pulev, Joshua’s next opponent, has no plans to cooperate.

Joshua, who holds three heavyweight titles, and Pulev, mandatory challenger for one of the belts, have no date set because of the coronavirus pandemic but they are expected to meet in late summer or fall.

The location also is uncertain, although sites in the Middle East and Croatia are being considered.

“We’ve got a little history going here, with Kubrat and British heavyweights,” Ivalyo Gotsev, Pulev’s manager, told Sky Sports. “He’s knocked off quite a few. He shut up Derek Chisora because he had a big mouth.

“That was great, then beating another Fury, the little cousin was also a pretty good feat. That was the fight that qualified him to be the No 1 contender to Joshua, another British champion, so there is a little connection there.

“Kubrat versus U.K., I like that. A little name for himself there, so yeah, let’s deal with Joshua first. Let the best man win, and then we’ll look at options with Tyson Fury. Either way, all roads lead to Fury.

“I can say that, because I think he’s shown to be one of the supreme guys out there, if not the supreme guy. He is the man. It would be delightful to face the UK champions, one after another, wouldn’t it?”

Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) has won eight consecutive fights since his only loss, a fifth-round knockout against then-champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. The fight with Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) is the Bulgarian’s second title shot.

“His mindset is, ‘We’re going to war,’” Gotsev said. “Going to war. It’s a lot of preparation. We know what’s at stake. This is his chance to rise to the top and become the first and only heavyweight champion from our country and that part of the world.

“It’s a very exciting time for him, and he’s doing everything he has to do to get himself ready for this fight. It’s going to be a formidable fight. They’re the same height, same physical strength and let’s see who is the better boxer now and a better fighter of this era.

“Kubrat will present a great challenge for Joshua, that’s all I can say.”

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, said he would like to stage the fight with Pulev in the U.K. but he’s at the mercy of the pandemic.

“We hope between September and December live gates will return to the U.K.,” Hearn said. “There is also a chance they won’t. If that’s the case, we will take the fight elsewhere. We have had a number of approaches from the Middle East, China, and Croatia to stage the fight.

“We want to give ourselves every opportunity to stage it in the U.K., but we know it may not be possible. We want the mandatory defense boxed off, out of the way, before [Joshua] moves into the undisputed fight next year.”

Video: Mannix, Mora: Can Anthony Joshua beat Tyson Fury?

Former heavyweight champ George Foreman recently said that he can’t see Anthony Joshua beating Tyson Fury in an all-British showdown. Is Foreman underestimating Joshua? The knock against Joshua is his brutal knockout loss against Andy Ruiz Jr., …

Former heavyweight champ George Foreman recently said that he can’t see Anthony Joshua beating Tyson Fury in an all-British showdown.

Is Foreman underestimating Joshua?

The knock against Joshua is his brutal knockout loss against Andy Ruiz Jr., after which Joshua’s mental toughness was questioned. However, Joshua  turned the table in the rematch, winning a wide decision to regain the belts he had lost.

Joshua is scheduled to defend his titles against Kubrat Pulev, although the date is uncertain.

Fury, meanwhile, is coming off a sensational knockout of Deontay Wilder in their rematch to emerge at the No. 1 heavyweight in the world in terms of public perception. They are expected to fight a third time.

In this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora, DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss Joshua’s chances against Fury.

[jwplayer txTkElmu]

 

 

 

Bob Arum confirms that Kubrat Pulev won’t step aside for Fury-Joshua fight

Bob Arum confirmed that Kubrat Pulev does not intend to step aside so Anthony Joshua can go directly into a showdown with Tyson Fury.

Bob Arum confirmed what we all had figured out: Kubrat Pulev does not intend to step aside so Anthony Joshua can go directly into a showdown with Tyson Fury.

Joshua was scheduled to defend his heavyweight titles against Pulev on June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London but the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus threat.

Fury’s third fight with Wilder also was uncertain because of the pandemic.

Thus, there was talk that Joshua and Fury would bypass their contracted opponents and fight one another for the undisputed heavyweight championship in what arguably would be the biggest possible fight in boxing.

However, Wilder and Pulev have said they aren’t interested in stepping aside. And Arum, who represents the Bulgarian and co-promotes Fury, confirmed that Pulev is determined to fight Joshua next.

“No step aside for Pulev,” Arum told BadLeftHook.com very simply.

The question is when and where.

“I talked to Eddie Hearn about Joshua vs. Pulev,” he said, referring to Joshua’s promoter. “It looks like it can’t be the U.K., because there couldn’t be spectators. [It] looks like there are a couple other possibilities [for the site of the event]. It’s probably not gonna take place until later this year. And definitely not the U.K.

“Also, for Fury vs. Wilder, that’s looking like the fourth quarter.”

Pulev’s manager, Ivaylo Gotsev, pitched the idea of staging the fight at a Roman amphitheater in Pula, Croatia.

Video: Mannix, Mora: Is Tyson Fury underestimating Anthony Joshua?

Tyson Fury recently said that [Anthony] “Joshua’s not dangerous at all. He’s like a big, cuddly baby.” Is that really what Fury thinks of his prospective opponent? Fury, who holds on the four major heavyweight titles, proved to most observers that …

Tyson Fury recently said that [Anthony] “Joshua’s not dangerous at all. He’s like a big, cuddly baby.” Is that really what Fury thinks of his prospective opponent?

Fury, who holds on the four major heavyweight titles, proved to most observers that he’s the top heavyweight on the planet by stopping Deontay Wilder in February.

Joshua, who has the other three belts, is no slouch, though. He was upset by Andy Ruiz Jr. last June but turned the tables by winning a wide decision in their December rematch.

In this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora, DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss whether Fury could be underestimating Joshua.

This is what they had to say.

[jwplayer s7DPfJqu]

 

 

 

Kubrat Pulev wants Anthony Joshua fight but open to stepping aside

Kubrat Pulev intends to face Anthony Joshua in his next fight but hinted that he’s open to stepping aside for a Joshua-Tyson Fury showdown.

Kubrat Pulev made it clear that he intends to challenge heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua in his next fight but hinted, ever so slightly, that he might be open to stepping aside.

The handlers of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua reportedly are exploring the possibility of going directly into an all-British title-unification fight this winter in Saudi Arabia. However, Pulev, who has a signed contract to fight Joshua, and Deontay Wilder, with a deal to fight Fury a third time, would have to give the go-ahead.

“We have signed contracts for that fight and everything is ready,” Pulev told BoxingScene.com. “We worked on this contract for maybe two months and it was not so easy. But now we have this contract and I am ready. I don’t want to wait. I want the title fight with Anthony Joshua and I will beat him really good and get the second knockout against him.

“I am the mandatory challenger and these are the rules. It doesn’t matter who wants to box him or who he wants to box. Anthony Joshua has to box me.”
That said, money sometimes motivates people to change their minds.

Pulev was asked specifically whether stepping aside – for the right price – is a possibility.

“I am ready for this fight against Joshua, so I don’t know,” he said. “Nobody knows. I want this fight. When somebody comes to me and tells me something and offers me something, maybe. I don’t know, but I want this fight, I am ready for this fight and I believe this fight will happen this year.

“I’ve waited a long time for this fight with Anthony Joshua. I am the longtime mandatory for this fight, but I am open for talking, no problem. But I want this fight. That’s it.”

Of course, an offer must be made.

“The fact is we have a signed and sealed contract with Joshua, so there are no arguments there,” Pulev co-promoter Ivaylo Gotzev told BoxingScene.com. “There are two separate signed contracts between four fighters, a signed contract for Fury and Wilder to have a third fight and Wilder has executed his rights. That’s a known fact. And there is also the contract we have for Anthony Joshua to fight Kubrat Pulev. We’ve waited for this fight for a long time. We’re not going away. We must fight Joshua next, per our signed agreement.

“There hasn’t been a single word about a step-aside deal. We haven’t been approached about one. We are all interested in rescheduling Joshua-Pulev as soon as possible.”

Joshua and Pulev were set to meet on June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London but the fight was postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus threat. No date had been selected for Fury-Wilder III when the pandemic took hold.