We never know with Tyson Fury; is he serious or is he not? Does he mean what he says or does he not? A while back, the “retired” Fury offered his own set of terms for a British super-fight with Anthony Joshua – Fury said the fight would be a “free” fight, with tickets free, live TV coverage being non-pay-per-view in the UK; the fight being “for the people.”
Naturally people were sceptical, with plenty of fans feeling strongly Fury was messing around. But today, via a short message, Fury has repeated his offer, telling Joshua that the only way the fight happens is if it’s a free fight.
Tyson Fury insisting that he’s willing to come out of retirement and fight Anthony Joshua for free…
[📽️ @Tyson_Fury] pic.twitter.com/dZWu8Ki6ok
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 20, 2022
“This is a reconfirmation of what I’ve said about fighting Anthony Joshua for f*** all in England,” Fury said. “That’s how the fight happens, I’ll sign the contract today. The fight’s got to be for free, free-to-air television and all tickets got for free. No money is to be made out of this British historic fight, if it happens. There’s the terms, I’m in the driving seat – take it or f*****g leave it! The ball is in your court, guys, take it or leave it. Either way, I don’t give a damn. There’s the offer.”
So is Fury actually serious? You tell him (to his face) he isn’t. Of course, even if Fury is sincere with his offer this doesn’t mean the powers that be would ever let a fight of this magnitude go out for free. No way. Eddie Hearn, giving his take on Fury’s repeated offer to fight AJ for zilch, has used the genius word.
“He’s a genius, Tyson Fury, because no-one ever questions what he says,” Hearn said of Fury. “On the one hand, he said you’ve got to pay him 500 million to come out of retirement, and in the next sentence, he says he will fight AJ for free on non-PPV. It’s absolutely brilliant. The only way Tyson Fury’s going to fight again is for a bucket load of money, and Tyson Fury will go to Timbuktu or Mars for a bucket load of money.”
It would be interesting to hear Joshua’s thoughts on Fury’s unusual fight demands. Will Fury fight again (in a real fight, not including an exhibition of some kind) or will he actually stick to his retirement? How ultra-interesting would it be if AJ called Fury’s bluff and accepted his terms for a fight between them!