Fight with Joshua has to be for free: Fury

LONDON • World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on Wednesday said that he would return to the ring to fight Anthony Joshua in their native England provided the bout was free to watch and attend.

Undefeated Fury, who has 32 wins and one draw, last month claimed he was "over" boxing but has since changed his tune, saying he would sign the contract immediately to take on Joshua, who has 24 wins and two losses, provided his terms were met.

"The fight has got to be for free," Fury said in an Instagram post.

"Free-to-air on television and all tickets go for free. No money is to be made off of this British, historic fight. There's the terms, I'm in the driving seat, take it or leave it."

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, laughed off the notion of Fury fighting for no prize money.

He told DAZN: "He's a genius, Tyson Fury, because no one ever questions what he says. It's absolutely brilliant. The only way Tyson Fury's going to fight again is for a bucket load of money, and Tyson Fury will go to Timbuktu or Mars for a bucket load of money."

The "Gypsy King" knocked out compatriot Dillian Whyte in April to retain his WBC title before telling fans he would be sticking to his promise to his wife Paris to retire.

But the 33-year-old has since sent out mixed signals, saying he would fight again for £500 million (S$832.2 million).

Fury and Joshua appeared to be on a collision course last year until an arbitrator ruled the former had to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time. He defeated his 36-year-old American opponent in October to end their trilogy.

Joshua, 32, lost his World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation belts when he fell to Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk in London last September.

The pair are set to meet for a rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug 20.

REUTERS