
Boxing titan Tyson Fury has thrown down the gauntlet to Anthony Joshua, accusing his fellow fighter of being a 'coward' as their camps work on the details of their highly anticipated superfight.
Fury vs Joshua has been signed for this year but plans have been interrupted by what appeared to be a dispute over where the blockbuster bout would take place.
'The Battle of Britain' has been in the works since Joshua accepted Fury's pointed invitation back in April but his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has indicated a preference that it should be held in England, and at Wembley in particular.
Read next: Tyson Fury makes damning $100m claim about Moses Itauma after shock Filip Hrgovic defeat
Tyson Fury mocks Anthony Joshua camp in Instagram rant
Hearn and Joshua are at odds with Netflix and Turki Alalshikh, whose preferred venue is New York's Madison Square Garden.
Advert
Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, has given Joshua a time limit to book the fight in the United States.
The clock is ticking towards Friday's deadline and no agreement has been reached on a venue for the fight, leaving excited boxing fans in limbo and Fury, he says, frustrated.
With time running out, he took aim at Joshua personally over the lack of a handshake on a location.
"This is a Wednesday update. Joshua, where are you?" taunted the Gypsy King in a video on Instagram Stories.
"Still no deal done. It’s getting quite tiring. I’ve been down to fight every location that’s been mentioned. England, Ireland, Vegas, New York, back to England, back to Ireland, back to New York.
"Listen, I’ve said, ‘Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep,’ every single time. Zero stipulations.
"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 never really wanted it. So let’s see if you’re going to man up the final time.
"We’re both f***ing 37, 38 years old. Let’s f***ing fight, it’s a boxing match.
"You’ve been banjo’d before plenty of times. You’ve been knocked spark out a few times, so what? What’s the worst that can happen?
"I’m going to f***ing chin you, 100 percent, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before."
Read next: Tyson Fury opens door to surprise world title fight after Moses Itauma's shock defeat
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua hanging in the balance?
Warren's Friday deadline came with a clear threat that the fight would be cancelled if Joshua's camp don't do the deal.
Fight fans are desperate to see the two Brits square off in the ring after years of talk appeared to be about to finally bear fruit.
If Fury's bluster is any indication, his preparations in Miami must have been a positive experience.
A clash between an in-form Fury and a rival he's evidently itching to get his hands on is a mouth-watering prospect and box office gold.
Seeing it drop off the calendar before the end of 2026 would be a blow for fans.
Fury getting on the front foot in the war between words and silence has ensured that a cancellation would 'chin' Joshua's reputation.
Read next: Mike Tyson admits he could be banned from Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury
Topics: Boxing, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua