Hours after Tyson Fury called for a pause in negotiations with Anthony Joshua, he has apparently confirmed the WBC’s 19th place Mahmoud (formerly Manuel) Charr as who he will face on December 3. in a stadium match.
The ‘King of Gypsy’ has set a strict deadline of today at 5pm for Joshua’s team to return the signed contract for the match. When that didn’t happen, he announced that his offer was now off the table.
There are a few peculiarities to the situation. The first day, ‘AJ’ recently confirmed that he plans to sign a contract after the process is complete. Second, moments before Fury calls it all off, his promoter, Frank Warren, was on TalkSPORT discussing the potential fight and give an indication that it can still happen.
All that aside, the WBC Heavyweight Champion seems to be very clear in his opinion – he won’t face Anthony Joshua in December. He instead confirmed Charr, a the long-rumored alternative, through his Instagram.
“Wants to fight a man wants to fight and has fire and desire. [He has] fought some of the best and [is] Now step up again. Get in there, Charr. “
Tyson Fury says he will fight Mahmoud Charr next… pic.twitter.com/c5mJaWcJsO
– Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 26, 2022
Fury also shared a post saying that his After Party tour will be delayed to December as he prepares for the fight. Before the pre-announcement, it’s understandable if some fans might consider this a smokescreen – but, until that’s clear, this looks like the roadmap has been taken.
Charr was indeed facing top-level competition in the heavyweight division. He lost to Vitali Klitschko in 2012, Alexander Povetkin in 2014 and Mairis Breidis in 2015. Notable wins include Danny Williams in 2011, Alex Lepai in 2015 and Christopher Lovejoy in 2021.
The German heavyweight responded to Fury’s clear confirmation via its own social media.
“Tyson, you made a good choice. A good decision to fight the best. Honey, we’re going to give our fans the best show ever. Make sure you are ready”.
Whether that’s the battle fans want or not, it looks like it’s the one they’re getting. Having said that, this whole situation has probably taught us that nothing is guaranteed until the first bell rings.
