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By: Sean Crose
Not only did WBC and lineal heavyweight champion of the world Tyson Fury offer to fight Anthony Joshua on Monday, he’s now gone on to offer Joshua a 60/40 financial split of what would be a major heavyweight event. “I’m being bombarded,” Fury says in a video posted to social media Tuesday, “with messages about how much am I going to pay AJ…I’ve offered him 60/40. Forty percent of this amazing fight because I want this fight to happen. He doesn’t have any excuses now not to take it. He can’t say I’ve low balled him and offered him 20 percent, 30 percent. I’ve offered the people 40 percent. Take it or leave it. Let us know. Boom.”
Fury had wanted to face WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk, who recently defeated Joshua for the second time, before the end of the year. Fury claimed Usyk wasn’t interested in fighting so soon, however, and so the focus turned to Joshua. While Joshua was unable to regain the title belts he had previously lost to Usyk in their rematch, the man remains one of the most popular fighters on earth – especially in England, the place both he and Fury call home. Fury referred to a match with Joshua as “The Battle of Britain” for a reason.
The truth, however, is that a fight between these two towering Englishman is unlikely to go down before the end of 2022. Joshua just went through a grueling second match with Usyk, after all – a match he lost. What’s more, Joshua initially had a difficult time accepting the result of the Usyk rematch. Here, no doubt, is a professional athlete who many would expect to take time off in order to regain the physical and emotional strength needed to engage in a high level boxing match. Joshua, however, is nothing if not competitive.
Plus, should he best Fury, Londoner Joshua would not only be a titlist again, but would also hold the lineal heavyweight championship, which would make him the man who beat the man who beat the man in a line that traces all the way back to the late 1800s. No small thing. As for Fury, the colorful champion demolished longtime contender Dillian Whyte last spring, then, after declaring retirement, declared he wanted to fight before the end of the year. The major question now is whether or not his opponent will be Joshua.
