Tyson Fury losing patience with Anthony Joshua on step aside situation
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury wants Anthony Joshua to decide already whether he’s going to take a step aside payment or go ahead with his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) would like to be the one that takes care of IBF, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) next so that he can collect all four belts.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) said last week that he’s willing to step aside if it makes business sense, which can be construed to be code for, ‘I’m not confident about the Usyk fight.’
Tyson wants Joshua to make a decision already so he can get ramped up to smash Usyk’s face in for him. Ideally, Fury wants to ensure that Joshua doesn’t lose again before facing him in their long-awaited fight.
“40 million, is that dollars or pounds?” said Tyson Fury to iFL TV, reacting to Anthony Joshua wanting 40M to step aside so that Tyson can face Usyk next.
“What I say to that is you have to ask my advisor on what is going on with people’s step aside money and other people’s businesses because I don’t get involved at all,”
“So, I don’t get involved in money, money, money, cash, cash, cash. I’m a warrior, not a businessman. I don’t care about money, fame, or fortune. I care about fighting,” said Fury.
If Joshua is serious about wanting $40 million for his step aside, then it’s clear that he wants to fight his rematch with Usyk because he’s not going to get that kind of crazy money.
Joshua would be putting his career on the line in the rematch with Usyk, but he can afford to make a foolish move like that because his net worth is $80 million.
Read: Hasaacas Ladies beat LadyStrikers to win maiden edition of Women’s Premier League Super Cup
He’s not like someone with an empty bank account who can’t afford to make unwise gambles.
“I’m not going to give an opinion on that because he’s going to end up seeing this interview and not stepping aside,” said Fury on Joshua, saying he possibly could make sense for him to step aside if it makes sense for him.
“I want him to step aside so that I can absolutely batter Oleksandr Usyk,” said Fury. “But if he does, he does, and if he doesn’t, he does.”
It’s still too early for Fury to know who he’ll be fighting next because if Dillian Whyte’s arbitration case ends soon, he may wind up facing him.
Of course, Fury can permanently vacate his WBC title and ask to be elevated to Franchise champion, which in that case, it won’t matter what happens with his WBC belt.
Whyte would either be elevated to the new WBC champion or more likely be ordered to fight the highest-ranked contender for it in the World Boxing Council’s top 10 rankings.
