Tyson Fury ignored Anthony Joshua’s challenge over the weekend by opting out of a star-studded boxing awards ceremony.
The Ring Magazine event in London saw the who’s who of boxing gather, but Fury was notably absent despite his first bout with Oleksandr Usyk being honoured as the event of the year. Joshua had taken to Instagram before the event, posting an image of Fury with the caption: “Looking for this man tonight @ringmagazine”, in hopes of a face-off at the ceremony. However, Fury was nowhere to be seen.
Boxing enthufansiasts are eager for a showdown between Joshua and Fury this year, with AJ expressing his commitment to “deliver” the much-anticipated fight. Speaking at the awards, Joshua reflected on his recent break from the ring: “After my last fight I took some time out,” he said.
“I let my body heal, which I’m still working on now, and I declined some business opportunities so I could focus on the sport, which takes off mental pressure as well as physically.”
Joshua also mentioned spending quality time with family and gearing up for 2025 feeling rejuvenated. He acknowledged the public’s anticipation for the Joshua vs Fury clash, stating: “It’s a fight [Joshua vs Fury] I want to see, because I’m a fan of boxing, so I want to get that fight underway. When I’m in the local gym everyone is asking me, and the reason I decided to do some interesting stuff (on social media) is because I haven’t got many years ahead of me. I’ve had more years behind me.”
Joshua is determined to leave a lasting impression on the boxing world, aiming for high-profile bouts and entertaining fans. “So what I want to do is leave the game with a bang and make an impact. Be outlandish, a great character, have fun with it while we’re doing it and go for the big fights,” he added. “Tyson Fury is one of them. Every time I see people they say: ‘When you fighting Fury? ‘ The Irish community, English community, Nigerian community, everyone is asking me the same question. As a fighter, it’s up to me to deliver. It has to happen this year.”
Meanwhile, his promoter Eddie Hearn is optimistic about securing Wembley Stadium for the much-anticipated clash. Hearn confirmed, “Yes. We’re looking to get back in the ring in May or June.” He added, “If it ended up being July, it doesn’t really matter. I still think it rests on Tyson Fury. Until the water settles on the defeat and where he’s at mentally and what he wants to do that’s where we’re really going to find out. Because when he looks at the options, what else is he going to do and who else is he going to fight? “.
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