Tyson Fury has branded Anthony Joshua a “coward” and accused his fellow British heavyweight of “conning everybody” as negotiations for their long-awaited showdown continue.
Fury launched his latest attack on Joshua on Wednesday amid an ongoing dispute over where the proposed heavyweight blockbuster should take place.
According to Sky Sports, the fight appeared closer than ever to being finalised before Saudi organisers Sela reportedly pushed for the event to be staged in the United States, creating a major obstacle in the negotiations.
Joshua’s camp has maintained its preference for the bout to take place in the United Kingdom.
Questioning the delay in an Instagram video, Fury said: “Joshua, where are you? Still no deal done. It’s getting quite tiring.”
The former heavyweight champion continued: “The facts are that I feel like you’re being a coward. I feel like you don’t want the fight and you’re just conning everybody. I feel like you’ve been doing that for years.”
Fury insisted he had been prepared to fight Joshua at any of the locations discussed during negotiations.
“I’ve been down to fight in every location that’s been mentioned – England, Ireland, Vegas, New York, back to England, back to Ireland, back to New York,” he said. “I’ve said yep, yep, yep every single time with zero stipulations.”
The 37-year-old also taunted Joshua over their ages and previous knockout defeats, urging his longtime rival to finally settle their rivalry in the ring.
“We’re both 37, 38 years old – let’s fight,” Fury said. “It’s a boxing match and you’ve been banjoed before plenty of times.”
Joshua is coming off a second-round knockout victory over Kristian Prenga in July, although he was knocked down twice in the opening round.
Fury also returned to the ring in July, defeating Mariusz Wach before his opponent retired in the seventh round.
Venue Remains Major Sticking Point
Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, said the responsibility for progressing the proposed fight now rests with Joshua’s camp.
“Tyson has signed up for the fight and agreed to the fight,” Warren said. “He’s all good to go, just waiting for AJ.”
Warren acknowledged, however, that the venue remains unresolved, particularly after Fury recently suggested that the fight could take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“Tyson just wants to get on,” Warren said. “He said, ‘I don’t care where I’ll fight, whether it’s Wembley, New York, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man – I’ll fight him anywhere’. He doesn’t care.”
The Fury-Joshua clash has been discussed for years and remains one of boxing’s most anticipated potential heavyweight fights.
However, despite continued negotiations, the two camps have yet to reach an agreement, with the location of the proposed bout still a key issue.
