Frank Warren, co-promoter for WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, has expressed his shock over Anthony Joshua’s reluctance to negotiate a possible clash between the two titans. Last month, Fury’s team approached Joshua with the prospect of a September face-off at Wembley Stadium in London, an offer that was met with unexpected silence. Joshua seems intent on following through with his current two-fight plan to wrap up 2023, leaving Fury, and the boxing world, in suspense.
Joshua is set on having a domestic fight in August, with a subsequent bout against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in December in Saudi Arabia. However, the identity of his August opponent remains a mystery. Rumors of a rematch with Dillian Whyte had circulated, but Joshua recently took to social media to quash the speculations, stating categorically that there were no negotiations underway for a Whyte rematch.
In light of Joshua’s refusal to negotiate with Fury, and the absence of an opponent for August, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has offered an alternative. Filip Hrgovic, an unbeaten puncher and the IBF’s mandatory challenger, could be the perfect solution to the predicament. “Imagine AJ fights Dillian Whyte then Wilder and Usyk fight Dubois. Fury can fight Filip Hrgovic,” Hearn suggested during an interview with Boxing Social.
Warren, however, isn’t shying away from expressing his frustration with Joshua's decisions. “Who is Joshua going to fight in August? They’re slagging off Tyson who is offering him the fight on a 60/40 chance of fighting for the world title,” Warren challenged Joshua during a Talk Sport interview. Warren’s comments reflect mounting pressure on Joshua to either accept the Fury fight or agree to face Hrgovic in August, raising compelling questions about the future of the heavyweight landscape.
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