Tony Bellew says Anthony Joshua shouldn’t accept the “lowball” offer of 60-40 from Tyson Fury for a fight in November. Bellew feels that Joshua is the biggest draw in boxing, and it’s just “madness” for him to be given an offer that’s not 50-50.
It doesn’t matter that Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) is coming off back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, he’s still a bigger draw than Fury.
Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for Joshua to agree to Fury’s deal, and it certainly would be foolish for him to allow himself to be rushed back into the ring to fight in November. That’s dumb.
You can argue that Joshua’s self-esteem would need to be at an all-time low to agree to return to the ring two months from now to be the B-side against a fighter that is a smaller draw than him in Fury.
“AJ is the biggest draw in the heavyweight division,” said Tony Bellew to talkSPORT. “It doesn’t matter if he’s lost twice, he’s still the biggest draw.
“Yes, he’s coming off the back of two defeats, but why is the best fighter in the world [Fury] calling his name? Why does he want to face him? You’ve got to ask that question.
“When you start putting out offers and saying, ‘I’ll give you 60-40,’ people like Anthony Joshua, they don’t bow to other people’s demands because the draw they bring is so big. You can’t lowball a guy that generates what he generates. It’s madness.
“This guy [Joshua] took boxing to Saudi Arabia. Just remember that. It’s never been there before. He has a lot of power to his hand. There’s a reason why he’s being called out.
“He’s coming off two defeats, yet Tyson Fury is calling his name. So if you’re going to be reasonable and say this is 50-50, I think it would be crazy not to take it. But at 60-40, if I was him, I’d be hesitant because you bring a lot to the table, probably more than the champion himself.
“This guy [Fury] has given up the most respected belt of them all. He’s no longer the Ring heavyweight champion. The reason he gave that up is because he changes his mind every five minutes.
“When Anthony Joshua announces a fight, he’s the biggest draw in the heavyweight division. That’s why the guys in Saudi want him.
“I would pick someone like Zhang,” said Bellew on who Joshua should fight in December if not Fury.
