Tyson Fury Calls Anthony Joshua a Coward Amidst Fight Negotiations
Tyson Fury has cranked up the pressure on Anthony Joshua, branding his long-time rival a “coward” as talks over their long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown stall yet again.
The fight, years in the making and sold as the definitive domestic clash of this era, had been pencilled in for November. That date now looks increasingly fragile. The sticking point is familiar: where the bout will actually take place.
Joshua, a two-time unified world champion, and his promoter Eddie Hearn have already signed a contract for the fight to be staged in the United Kingdom. The organisers, though, are understood to be pushing hard for a move across the Atlantic, with the United States their preferred destination.
Hearn has been clear on one thing: if the venue shifts away from the UK, the paperwork must follow. The contracts, he has previously said, would need to be renegotiated for any fight outside British soil.
While the lawyers and executives haggle, Fury has gone back to his most reliable weapon — his mouth.
The 38-year-old, who beat durable journeyman Mariusz Wach last month to keep the mega-fight on course, admitted on Wednesday that the drawn-out negotiations are wearing thin, calling the process “quite tiring”. Then he went on the attack.
“I've been down to fight at every location that's been mentioned – England, Ireland, Vegas, New York, back to England, back to Ireland, back to New York,” Fury said. “Listen, I've said yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, every single time. Zero stipulations.”
With that, he turned his fire squarely on Joshua’s appetite for the contest.
“The facts are I feel like you're being a coward. I feel like you don't want the fight and you're just conning everybody. I feel like you've been doing that for years.
You’ve had many opportunities to fight me, but deep down you've never really wanted it, so let's see if you're going to man up for a final time.”
The verbal jabs didn’t stop there. In a separate post, Fury appeared alongside former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, using the presence of the legend whose name he shares to twist the knife a little more. Addressing Joshua, 36, he told his fellow Brit to “sign the contract, big boy”, echoing Tyson’s famous line as he played to the cameras and the crowd.
Behind the theatre, Fury’s camp insists there is no ambiguity on their side. Frank Warren, of Queensbury Promotions, who represents Fury, told Sky Sports News that his man is fully committed.
“It is signed by Tyson,” Warren said. “Tyson is signed up for the fight and agreed for the fight.”
So the contracts, at least from Fury’s corner, are done. The venue is not. The insults are flying, the clock is ticking, and the question hangs over the heavyweight division yet again: will this era-defining British clash finally make it from negotiation rooms to the ring?
