Former world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, has confirmed he plans to fight in November and says several heavyweight champions are ready to step in if his highly anticipated bout with Anthony Joshua fails to materialise.
Fury and Joshua agreed in April to meet in what would be one of the biggest all-British heavyweight fights in recent years. However, the contest is yet to receive an official date and venue.
Both fighters completed their respective comeback bouts in July as they waited for negotiations to progress. Fury stopped Polish veteran Mariusz Wach, while Joshua recovered from two knockdowns to defeat Kristian Prenga in the second round.
Recent reports have suggested that the Fury-Joshua showdown could be staged at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 20, with Netflix and the Saudi backers of the event reportedly pushing for the fight to take place in the United States.
However, Fury has warned that he is prepared to move on if the proposed clash is not finalised soon.
Speaking to Gareth A. Davies, Fury said he remains focused on fighting in November but has several alternative opponents available.
“I am training for self-preservation. I am training to keep fit. Keep active, and I am looking at a date in November over here (America) to fight Anthony Joshua. But if that fight doesn’t happen then we have quite a few champions on standby.
“Let’s face it, I am the money in the room and all of these people want to fight me. Obviously, winning a belt is great and it’s a lifetime achievement, but you need to get paid with that belt as well. I think the only person who they can fight at the moment, to make any money, is me. We will pick one of them.”
The former heavyweight champion also insisted that he intends to honour his contractual commitments, meaning a collapse of the Joshua fight would not necessarily leave him without an opponent.
“If it does not happen in November, I will fight somebody else. I have a contract, and I have had many contracts in my life, and I have never not honoured any of them. So, whatever that contract states, I will honour because that’s what I do – I make things happen that I sign for. If I did not want to do something, I would not have signed the contract to do it. Therefore, it would leave me open to a breach of contract and I will end up in court with a litigation against me.”
Fury’s latest comments suggest he is determined to remain active in November, whether that means finally facing Joshua or taking on another leading heavyweight.
