Promoter Frank Warren assured fans his team is continually working on getting Fury vs Joshua over the line despite a recent collapse.
Tyson Fury told Brit rival Anthony Joshua that he had until 5 pm UK time on Monday to sign, or the deal is off.
A TV appearance on Saturday night at the Joe Joyce vs Joseph Parker event, where Fury made the first ultimatum, seems to have backed “The Gypsy King” into a corner.
As stubborn as the WBC heavyweight champion is, he was never going to back down on his stipulation to Joshua.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said they wouldn’t sign the deal. Joshua then stated that he would. It’s all been another mess with only the British fans suffering again.
Can Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua still happen?
Warren remains hopeful, though, despite Fury’s self-imposed deadline. However, the Queensberry boss has no idea what is taking Joshua and Hearn so long to put pen to paper.
“We’re waiting for it [the contract] to come back. It’s not come back, the contract. We’re waiting for it to come back,” Warren told talkSPORT Drive.
“We’ve agreed on certain things. We’re waiting for it to come back. We’ve been waiting for ten days, so I’ve got no idea.
“There’s nothing as far as we’re concerned. We thought we’d got it over the line, more or less.
“They’ve got the contract. They’ve got to come back to us now. There’s been a lot of conversations, but they’ve not come back.
“My son, George, spoke to the other side and said they’d get it back, so we’re waiting for it still.”
Fury deadline
On why Fury gave AJ 48 hours to sign, Warren responded: “We keep pushing it back.
“We’re not that far away from December 3. We’ve got to get it up on sale. The venue’s booked, but there’s a lot of organization involved.”
“We’re trying to get it done by today [Monday]. We’re working very hard to get it over the line.
“If everyone agreed to everything, it would be a huge undertaking, but we could do it that way.”
Asked about Fury’s state of mind and moving forward with a potential deal, Warren concluded: “Tyson has told me what he wants.
“They’ve had the contract for ten days. He’s lost patience with it.
“We’re trying to make it work. We had a good meeting today, so we’ll see what happens.”
Fury vs Charr
Fury is looking to face Mahmoud Charr instead, a fight that would mean Cardiff’s Principality Stadium would be off the table.
If Charr is allowed to fight Fury by the WBC [as he’s only ranked 19 and needs to be top 15], then the clash is far more likely to be held at Manchester Arena or The O2 in London.
And what does a Tyson Fury fight cancellation mean for Joshua? – The DAZN star still has many options open to him.
If he’s looking to guarantee a win after losing both of his damaging two-fight deal with Oleksandr Usyk, there’s Dillian Whyte or Zhilei Zhang.
Harder tests come from Deontay Wilder or a third fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. However; both those bouts couldn’t happen until 2023.
For now, Whyte and Zhang seem to be the top two options as Matchroom Boxing aims to help Joshua through his Saudi Arabia rematch defeat and the permanent dropping of his WBA, WBO, and IBF belts last August.
At the same time, Fury’s team is working with BT Sport to try and find a way forward for his next Pay Per View.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
