Anthony Joshua's statement after Tyson Fury fight explains whether huge bout will actually happen
Tyson Fury might have enjoyed a successful return from retirement yesterday but he has all eyes on a future fight with Anthony Joshua.
After announcing his return from a fifth retirement, and securing a points victory against Arslanbek Makhmudov, the 'Gypsy King' was quick to call out fellow heavyweight AJ, who was watching ringside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The two legendary boxers have been talking about fighting for close to a decade now but have never met in the ring, with this seemingly the last chance that they will have, as Fury admitted that he would eat '1000 Easter eggs' if the two couldn't agree to a fight.
He said: "He was brought here tonight ringside for a reason, to get in that ring and make a face off and get the fight done. I've signed. I signed months ago. I don't know if he signed.
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"He was very evasive and didn't give no definitive answers," he continued. "I know one thing. He wasn't saying yes.
"In my opinion he didn't want no smoke. He didn't want it. He didn't look like he wanted it. He was just shell-shocked. Didn't know what to say, He came ringside to make a fight. If it was me I'd have jumped in that ring, faced off, let's get it on.
"10 years in the making and still, after all this time, there's still uncertainty about if this fight's going to happen next."
Although Fury suggested that Joshua wasn't that keen, with the 36-year-old only fighting Jake Paul in the last year and slowly making his way back after a horror car crash which sadly claimed the lives of his two close friends, the Londoner suggested otherwise in his commentary.
"Tonight is your night, and you know I'll sit across that ring from you in due time," Joshua said.
"You ain't gonna tell me what to do. I've been chasing you for the last 10 years.
"When you're ready, you come and see me and tell me your terms and conditions, and I'll have you in the ring when I'm ready. I'm the boss. You work for me.
"I'm the landlord. Remember that. You work for me."
Either way, Fury will have to wait a short while before his fight with Joshua can be officially put together, considering his recent ban from boxing, but it will all depend on whether the talk is all for show as to whether the two can agree to what would undoubtedly be a money-spinning fight.
Joshua would later tell Netflix's Anna Woolhouse: "I'm going to be completely honest. There's a negotiation to go through.
"I've sat at this table many times. I'm not here to chase clout. Contracts will be sent over and I'll more than likely be in the ring with him next.
"He's the one that retired. I've been in the game for 13 years, I've never retired.
"I make the big fights. That's what I said to him. He works for me.
"I have to take a minute and do what's best for me. I'm sorting some things out for my brothers and their families.
"I've been here a million times with him before. If I'm honest with you right now, until we're in the ring there is no fight with him. I've been here three or four times before with Deontay Wilder and Fury."
So, while conversations certainly seem positive, boxing fans have probably said the same thing many times over the past 10 years, and we may have to wait until they're actually in the ring together to be completely sure that a fight will happen.
Topics: Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Boxing
James Moorhouse