Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has said he is eager to give boxing fans “what they want to see” by fighting Anthony Joshua in an undisputed title fight but insists no fight will take place until both have beaten their immediate opponents.
Fury won the WBC title in Las Vegas three months ago with a seventh-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder, after Joshua defeated Mexican-American Andy Ruiz Jr in a December rematch in Saudi Arabia to reclaim his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO titles.
Joshua’s next fight is with mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev, but their bout scheduled for June 20 was postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Fury will take on Wilder for a third time later this year after the American activated the rematch clause inserted into the contract from the second fight.
While boxing promoters and fans have been clamouring to arrange a bout between Fury and Joshua, Fury has said they will have to wait.
“If I get knocked out by Wilder, then it won’t be on, will it,” Fury told Sky Sports.
“It’ll be another fight with Wilder … If he loses to Pulev, so close, but so far. In heavyweight boxing, you can never count your chickens before they hatch, so one fight at a time, one victory at a time.”
Fury said a meeting with Joshua had the potential to be the biggest match since Britons Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno fought in 1993.
“All going well, we get on the big fight with me and Joshua, the all-British showdown, and I can give the fans what they want to see, especially the British fans.”
Like all major sport, boxing has been halted during the coronavirus pandemic, although head of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, is aiming to bring fights back by hosting events in the gardens of his company headquarters.
