Tyson Fury accuses Anthony Joshua of pulling out of fight
A heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has been thrown into chaos after the Gypsy King accused his rival of pulling out of the contest, reports BritPanorama.
The much-anticipated bout was scheduled to take place in Cardiff later this year. However, Fury took to Instagram to claim the fight is now in jeopardy owing to a feud between Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn and the UFC’s Dana White.
White has been billed as the main promoter for the heavyweight showdown and has pushed for the contest to occur in New York. Hearn, who successfully ensured the fight would be held in Cardiff, contends that the contract stipulates that White cannot be involved in the contest.
Fury has now asserted that the bout has been cancelled due to Hearn’s ego. He criticized Joshua on social media, saying, “They’re little s*** house cowards to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego, he’s making up a million different things and threatening that ‘we’re not going to fight’ you little coward. AJ pull your finger out you white flag, yellow-bellied coward. You know now we’re coming home, now I’m coming home the Gypsy King is coming back to the United Kingdom to thrash you in front of all my fans in Wales.”
In addition, Fury disparaged Joshua as a “body-building sausage” and accused him of making excuses. He also took aim at Turki Al-Sheikh, who operates Zuffa Boxing with White, alleging he is now seeking a replacement to fight Fury at “the drop of a hat”.
Fury and Joshua are expected to meet on September 30 for a pre-fight press conference. Hearn, however, has warned that White must not be present, labelling the UFC chief a “loser” and a “soppy t**” after Cardiff was confirmed as the venue.
The fight ring walk had been anticipated around 2 am to accommodate a US audience, with the timing reportedly influenced by Netflix, which is set to broadcast the match if it proceeds. Hearn initially advocated for Wembley Stadium; however, Cardiff’s government agreed to relax their late-night curfew, making the Principality Stadium a more viable option.
While Joshua and Fury no longer hold the same level of dominance in the heavyweight division, public interest in this long-awaited clash remains high. Joshua has faced challenges in recent fights, having been knocked down six times across his last two bouts against Daniel Dubois and Kristian Prenga, yet he remains a formidable finisher with significant knockout power.
Fury’s recent outings since emerging from retirement have shown comfortable victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Mariusz Wach, albeit pointing towards a fighter whose prime may have passed. Boxing analysts agree that this matchup should have taken place years ago, yet their coming encounter, should it proceed, will finally determine who stands as the preeminent British heavyweight of their generation.
