Former WBA regular heavyweight champion Mahmoud Charr has told Tyson Fury to sign a contract to fight him on December 3rd.
The German-based Lebanese fighter has been vocal on social media, going back and forth with “The Gypsy King” for the past few weeks.
At the same time, Fury has offered Anthony Joshua a WBC title bout on the same date.
Skeptics over Fury vs Joshua believe Charr is the real target for Fury at the end of the year as the lineal ruler has fought three top bouts on the spin.
Fury has defeated Deontay Wilder twice and Dillian Whyte, beating both easily in two of those fights. Despite that fact, the 34-year-old is now linked with Charr.
If the Joshua fight falls through over contract differences on Monday, many see the Charr event getting announced by Tuesday.
Time is fast running out, and Charr wants a deal to get over the line as soon as possible.
Fury vs Charr
“First of all, if Fury fights AJ next, it’s not good for boxing. AJ is mentally broken. He needs recovery from his two losses,” Charr told Sky Sports.
“If Eddie Hearn accepts this fight vs Fury, Eddie has to change his business [from promoting]. I think Fury will give AJ a bad knockout [because of] his mental position now.
“Everyone knows Fury promised more than one time to fight me. If he is the real Spartan, he must fight the real Superman. It’s me.”
He continued: “I’m coming from a five-win [run, including a victory over Christopher Lovejoy]. God gave me another chance to live.
“Everyone knows I come from getting shot in my stomach and two hip operations. Never forget seven months later, I became the first Arabic [secondary] heavyweight champion in the world.
“This story is the same as Fury, to not give up and fight for legacy. I want Fury next. Don’t be scared, Spartan. Take my challenge!”
“They don’t need to contact me. I am ready today, tomorrow, whenever they want me.
“But this business is between Fury and me, not our teams. Fury, you have my number. Call me and sign the paper!”
Joshua contract
The ball on a Tyson Fury fight is in the court of Joshua and Hearn. They’ve had paperwork from Fury’s team for the past few days.
Joshua has until the end of business on Monday to complete, or Charr will come into the equation.
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn is already aware that they have to move quickly despite believing the contract needs more work.
“We have to move quickly because it worries me that Mahmoud Charr is coming out, saying he is fighting Tyson Fury on December 3.
“Again, all I’m being told at the moment is they want to make the fight. If they do, we’re ready to try and make it happen,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky on Thursday.
Since then, the Essex man has told Joshua it’s impossible to sign the deal swiftly. However, AJ went against his promoter and stated he intended to sign the agreement before Fury’s deadline.
Who will Tyson Fury fight next?
Fury has limited options, with an undisputed battle with Oleksandr Usyk apparently off the menu for him. Usyk’s win over Joshua, last month in Saudi Arabia meant the Ukrainian wanted some time away from the sport.
However, the WBA, IBF, and WBO belt holder stated he’ll put those plans on the shelf if Fury agrees to a deal.
Currently, the most likely fight remains Fury vs Charr, simply because UK fans don’t seem to be that lucky when it comes to the massive Battle of Britain encounter.
A BT Sport and DAZN Pay Per View cut Sky Sports Box Office out of a future deal. Due to Sky paying the most money for Usyk vs Joshua 2, talks need to take place on Monday before any finalization of the fight all UK fans want for the end of the year.
If Joshua can put off a shock, a rematch at Wembley between April and June of 2023 will be on the cards.
Both fighters stand to make close to nine figures from a two-fight British heavyweight saga.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
