Tyson Fury’s sympathy for Anthony Joshua lasted only a few months before the Gypsy King publicly mocked his rival the moment fight talk returned.
Fresh from defeating Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Fury immediately turned his attention toward Joshua while speaking in front of the crowd and Netflix cameras.
“I challenge you, Andy Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King, next. You accept my challenge?” Fury said.
“Let him say yes or no. Come on, you big s***house!”
The callout came moments after Fury urged Joshua not to run from the fight and pushed again for a showdown that has lingered on the British boxing horizon for more than a decade.
Only months earlier, Fury had been speaking about Joshua in a very different tone.
Fury sympathy for Joshua
After the fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of several of Joshua’s friends, Fury struck a compassionate note.
“This is so sad. May God give them a good bed in heaven,” Fury said at the time.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Fury also acknowledged how fragile life can be.
“It could have been any of us in that car.”
Those comments came during a period when Joshua’s life had been turned upside down.
It has been only four months since the crash, and the former two-time unified heavyweight champion has shown little sign publicly of focusing on boxing since.
Instead, Joshua has spent much of that time around his team and alongside Oleksandr Usyk — a rival he twice fought for the world heavyweight title — as he sought perspective following the devastating loss of close friends.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has already suggested Joshua may need far longer than a few weeks to properly process what happened in Nigeria that day.
Joshua ambush questioned
That background made Saturday night’s moment feel uncomfortable to some watching unfold.
Joshua was seated ringside when Fury suddenly directed his challenge toward him, placing the Olympic gold medalist on the spot in front of the arena and a global Netflix audience.
The streaming platform then quickly confirmed Fury vs Joshua on social media despite Joshua himself offering no commitment to the fight.
For many observers, the sequence looked like an attempt to push the fight forward whether Joshua was ready or not.
Fury may ultimately get the showdown he wants.
But judging by Joshua’s demeanor in the immediate aftermath, the Gypsy King might be wiser to wait until his rival is mentally ready before demanding the biggest fight in British boxing.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
