Anthony Joshua: “Fury Needs Me At The Minute”

By James Slater - 03/28/2023 - Comments

Although nothing Anthony Joshua has to say will mean much of anything if he fails to come through his comeback fight against Jermain Franklin on Saturday night at The O2, the former two-time heavyweight champ does feel the tables have turned with regards to himself and Tyson Fury. Speaking at the final presser before the must-win Franklin fight, AJ said that with the collapse of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight, Fury “needs me at the minute.”

Eddie Hearn has strongly suggested we fans should, now that the Fury-Usyk fight is dead in the water, be “screaming for Fury-Joshua.” And Joshua doesn’t see Fury having any next fight set and therefore he is again hoping Fury will fight him next.

“There’s no better time,” AJ said of a fight between himself and Fury. “I feel like now, provided the Usyk [fight] doesn’t happen and he doesn’t fight anyone in between, Fury needs me at the minute.”

Fury will not like hearing this, nor would Fury appreciate anyone saying he “needs” them. But in all honesty, if Fury doesn’t fight Usyk (and plenty of fans have given up on ever seeing that fight after all the apparent games Fury was playing whilst “negotiating” that fight; Fury laying down unrealistic terms more like it), and if he doesn’t fight Joshua, then who will Fury fight?

The fans will not accept another Derek Chisora or Tom Schwarz type fight from Fury (no disrespect to the tougher than tough Chisora, a man we all know will fight anyone). So the timing does seem to be ideal for what would be the biggest fight in British boxing history. But will Fury play ball? Will Fury ever possibly work with Hearn? Might Fury actually retire instead, for good this time?

Bottom line, as has been said before, it would be nothing short of a travesty if a Fury Vs. Joshua fight, these the two biggest stars of the heavyweight division, both fighting at the same time, both from the same country, the fight a genuine fan-demanded affair, did not happen. Then again, it’s a travesty that the Fury-Usyk fight is not going to happen. Maybe Fury WILL now compromise, just a little, and enter negotiations with Joshua in good faith. We can but hope.

But for now, do YOU agree with Joshua – does Fury “need” AJ right now? Who would be the A-side if this fight did actually happen?