TYSON FURY’s team appear to understand Anthony Joshua’s decision to snub a short-notice domestic dust-up.
Former two-time heavyweight king Joshua was approached with a shock offer for a Battle of Britain with The Gypsy King late last month.
Anthony Joshua and his team snubbed a potential September showdown with Tyson FuryRICHARD PELHAM
PAThe Gypsy King’s co-promoter Frank Warren tore into AJ and his rival Eddie Hearn[/caption]
GETTYBut Bob Arum doesn’t blame AJ for prioritising his clash with Deontay Wilder[/caption]
An official contract, however, was never sent over – although Joshua flat out refused to put his plans for a multi-million-pound Saudi showdown with Deontay Wilder on hold for his notoriously hot-and-cold rival.
Fury co-promoter Frank Warren lambasted Joshua for his decision to snub a September showdown, although Bob Arum sees the logic behind it.
The 91-year-old told Boxing Social: “Why would he want to fight Tyson Fury now when he can wait for the Saudi money in the winter and fight Wilder?
“This is a business for them.”
Arum doesn’t buy into the suggestion that Joshua is ‘afraid’ to face Fury, adding: ” I don’t blame anybody.
“Everybody’s in it to make the best business deal they can, and as far as Joshua is concerned that probably is waiting for December and fighting Wilder.”
Joshua, 33, is currently in negotiations to face long-time rival Dillian Whyte in August before a winter showdown with Wilder.
But promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t completely ruling out the idea of the Watford warrior finally dancing with WBC king Fury later this year.
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He said: “We have an offer without a contract so we need to wait on that contract.
“Don’t forget that Frank has never done a fight with Saudi Arabia, I have done two fights.
The Matchroon Boxing chief told iFL TV: “I’m well up for talking about the Fury fight in September, but we have our plan for August and December.
“Do you think interviews like that are going to help, ‘Anthony Joshua, you’re a coward’.
“You’ve absolutely lost your mind. What are you doing, is that the sign of someone trying to make a fight?
“The public have wised up to Frank Warren and Tyson Fury, they aren’t falling for it any more and we aren’t falling for it any more.
“We will make the fight and talk about it sensibly.
“But what we won’t get into is ‘Sign the contract you p*s’. What’s that?”
London 2012 gold medallist Joshua returned to the win column in April with scrappy points win over Jermaine Franklin.
Fury, meanwhile, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his one-sided December destruction of Derek Chisora in their Tottenham trilogy fight.