Anthony Joshua has accepted all of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s terms for a fight on 3rd December according to a statement by his 258MGT company.
Fury initially called Joshua out over social media for a fight this winter when it became clear WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring boss Oleksandr Usyk did not intend to fight until 2023. Fury has retired and ostensibly returned multiple times since his April victory over Dillian Whyte. But this is as advanced as talks have been for any proposed comeback by ‘The Gyspy King’.
The statement goes on to state, “Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication.” This suggests that genuine talks were ongoing last week, beyond the social media posturing from the two fighters. Given Fury's history of calling out fighters over social media, including Joshua in the past as well as Francis Ngannou, Derek Chisora and Usyk, many doubted the legitimacy of this fight. But on the Joshua side at least, they are satisfied that this WBC title clash could happen.
Fury's promoter Frank Warren replied to the announcement saying, "Contract will be with you very soon". While nothing is straightforward in boxing, this is about as transparent as negotiations get. The finer details such as the venue and purse are still to be decided, but things are progressing at an encouraging rate it seems.
Joshua comes into the fight after back-to-back points losses to Usyk. His bizarre outburst after the second defeat, when he threw two of the title belts out of the ring and embarked on an expletive-laden tirade, looked to have finished his career at the top level. But Fury’s availability and the still-strong interest in this clash between two of the all-time great British heavyweights has opened the door for ‘AJ’.
We now await a response from the Fury camp as the complicated road to this heavyweight mega-clash continues.
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258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury's team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.
Due to the Queen's passing, it was agreed to halt all communication.
We are awaiting a response.