Anthony Joshua is no longer pushing for a fight with Tyson Fury just 48 hours after stating he wanted to fight “The Gypsy King” next.
After his drab win over Jermaine Franklin, Joshua told gathered media that Fury was his target one hundred percent for a summer UK battle.
He said: “You know me, I try and provide for the fans, so whatever the fans want, who the fans want, they said Fury?
“Well, the ball’s in his court. I one hundred percent would be honored to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
“I stand here and say that proudly. That would be an honor. So wherever you are, if you’re listening, you know my management.
“You know my promoter, we’ve had dialogue before, so let’s hopefully get this on sooner than later.
“We’re not getting any younger! I can’t wait to get back to Texas, develop and push on because there’s a bigger fight. I can’t wait to get the next big fight.”
Anthony Joshua ‘wants’ Tyson Fury, then he doesn’t
Promoter Eddie Hearn stated his addition to AJ’s desire by saying: “I think AJ’s going to want the biggest fights.
“I will say that was a step down from Oleksandr Usyk, but there was a huge amount of pressure on him. He took himself away. He’s been training. It’s his first fight with Derrick James.
“I thought he ended the fight well. He’s learning a lot and working on a lot. “But as he said, they’re not getting any younger.
“We would be willing to entertain those conversations now to go straight into a Tyson Fury fight in the summer.
“We’ve got Dillian Whyte down there, Deontay Wilder. A lot of good fights out there.
“I think he’s going to improve under Derrick James. There was a lot of pressure out there, and he will also want the big fights.”
One-sided
Less than twenty-four hours on, Hearn then changed his tune. He named a three-person to shortlist without Fury that would be better for his charge.
As fans predicted on social media, Joshua is linked to a fight with Dillian Whyte rather than Fury. Many are now wondering if that was all hot air on Fury and if the plan was a Whyte rematch the whole time.
Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin, and Joe Joyce won’t be anywhere near as big. However, all pose a threat to the ‘learning Joshua’ despite being a two-time heavyweight champion and in his thirties.
When Joshua mentioned Fury at the press conference, Derrick James looked bemused. Furthermore, on the face of it, the whole charade is as one-sided as any heavyweight title fight could be.
