By: Hans Themistode
Like most of the boxing world, Anthony Joshua was incredibly upset with the fall out of his showdown against Tyson Fury due to legal arbitration.
After several months of intense negotiations with team Fury, Joshua was taken aback once it was revealed that Deontay Wilder was actually next in line for Fury. The former WBC belt holder suffered a seventh-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Fury in February of 2020. Despite having a mandated rematch clause in their contract, Fury attempted to bypass Wilder and move forward with an undisputed showdown against Joshua.
Completely confident that their contest was guaranteed to happen next, Fury took to his social media page to not only announce his showdown against Joshua but also to place an official date on it.
“I have got some massive news,” said Fury on his Twitter account several days ago. “I have just got off the phone with Prince Khalid of Saudi Arabia and he told me this fight is 100 percent on August 14. All eyes of the world will be on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I cannot wait, I repeat, cannot wait to smash Anthony Joshua on the biggest stage of all time. This is going to be the biggest sporting event ever to grace the planet Earth. Do not miss it.”
While fans, media members and pundits were ecstatic over the news, Wilder remained patient. His tranquil nature was immediately rewarded as arbitrator, Daniel Weinstein, ruled in Wilder’s favor. Now, Fury has no choice but to face him by September 15th.
With his dream of becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis roughly two decades ago falling apart, Joshua lashed out in a fit of rage.
“If there was an arbitration going on, why announce to the world we are fighting?” Asked Joshua on his Twitter account. “The fight was signed, undisputed.”
All along, Joshua remained hopeful that a showdown with Fury would take place next. In order to do so, the former Olympic gold medalist needed to clear several hurdles. For starters, Joshua was tasked with two mandatory challengers. The first came in the form of recent number one contender for the IBF, Kubrat Pulev, while the second came from the WBO in Oleksandr Usyk.
Unable to face both, Joshua took care of business against Pulev, stopping him in the ninth round in their December 2020, showdown. As for Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion agreed to step aside to allow Joshua to face Fury with an agreement in place that he would face the winner.
Now, with Fury out of the immediate picture, Usyk has stepped to the front of the line. In the mind of Joshua, he has no problem with facing the Ukrainian or anyone else for that matter, he simply wants someone who is serious about facing him to step up to the negotiating table.
“Tyson Fury, the world now sees you for the fraud you are,” continued Joshua. “You’ve let boxing down. You lied to the fans and led them on. Used my name for clout, not a fight. Bring me any championship fighter who can handle their business correctly.”