John Fury, the father of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, believes Anthony Joshua needs to defeat Deontay Wilder in order to secure a showdown with the ‘Gypsy King.’ Fury, of course, has challenged Wilder on three separate occasions, securing two victories and one draw.
“The only way that (Fury vs Joshua) can happen is if he beats Deontay Wilder. Everyone is skipping Wilder and no one wants to face him. I can’t stand him as a man, but every boxer on the planet is (****) scared of him except the Gypsy King, who’s beat him twice,” explained the elder Fury.
Joshua vs Wilder was heavily rumored to be secured for a December 2023 date, though those plans fell through when Skill Challenge Entertainment did not follow through with a proper contract as Eddie Hearn, and both fighters, expected.
“If AJ wants to face Tyson, let him defeat Wilder. No one wants Wilder. They can’t take Wilder’s power. They’ve all got to face Wilder to get to ‘The Gypsy King’. If they think they’re going to tread low and then get paid multi-millions when they don’t deserve it… at the end of the day, (Joshua) had an easy ride getting the belts. Let him earn his stripes to get to the Gypsy King,” continued Fury.”
Tyson Fury has his hands full over the next few months with an October 28 bout against Francis Ngannou and a fight confirmed to take place against Oleksandr Usyk relatively shortly after. The Usyk fight in particular, which is rumored for December or January at this time, should table any opportunity at a Fury vs Joshua matchup for the time being, given that Usyk and Fury have a rematch clause tied to their agreement.
“I think the Wilder fight, realistically, is not going to happen until March or April, at the latest,” said Hearn.
If Hearn’s prediction is truly the case, then John Fury will get his wish.