Tyson Fury is clearly not just talking this time.
The heavyweight title holder, who was recently “dismissed”, is tipped to take on Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title in his next bout. However, Fury wants to fight as soon as possible. And Usyk has indicated he won’t be ready to go until next year.
Enter Anthony Joshua, Usyk’s two-time victim.
Fury is said to have submitted an offer to take on his longtime rival before the end of the year, offering to distribute 60-40% of the revenue. And Joshua accepted, according to his promoter, Eddie Hearn.
That seems to make an all-British showdown on December 17 a realistic possibility, although Hearn warned in an interview with IFL TV on Wednesday: “In essence, we accepted the offer. There are many conversations. “
“WE ACCEPT 60/40”
✅ @EddieHearn confirmed that they have accepted the 60/40 offer for @Tyson_Fury with @anthonyjoshua!
Watch the full interview HERE ➡️ https://t.co/79gC4KS14L
Who wins and how? ️#Boxing #EddieHearn #FuryJoshua #TysonFury #AnthonyJoshua pic.twitter.com/o4LYisxHLc
– IFL TV (@IFLTV) September 7, 2022
The fight could take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, which has a retractable roof. However, that still has to be resolved.
“So I came back this morning and said we accept 60-40,” Hearn told IFL TV. “We want that reversed in a rematch, exactly, because you’re the champion here, you want a bigger split, which I think is fair.
“We want to do the fight in December and interestingly they have December 17th… at [Principality]so that’s perfect, that’s perfect for us. “
Fury talked to TalkSport on Wednesday.
“I think [60-40] more than generosity,” he said. “I didn’t want to go in and start giving them 20% like they did me. However, I really want this fight to happen because Usyk – the small middleweight – doesn’t want smokeless like I thought, and now I’m chasing AJ.
“I already beat Deontay Wilder, so there’s only one person left and that’s AJ, the bodybuilder! So why not give him 40 percent? Make no excuses for him and let’s make the fight open to the British public. “
Fury and Joshua appeared headed for a bout last year. However, a judge in the US ruled that Fury was obligated to honor the rematch agreement and fight Wilder a third time.
That bout came in October and Fury stopped Wilder for 11 rounds, his second consecutive KO against the former champion. He knocked out Dillian Whyte in six rounds in April, Fury’s most recent fight.
Meanwhile, Joshua lost three of his four major titles to Usyk by a unanimous decision last September and then lost a split decision in a rematch on August 20. That would give he has plenty of time to prepare for a fight with Fury in December.
