Izuchukwu OkosiAnthony Joshua’s camp is of the opinion that Tyson Fury is reluctant to fight Anglo-Nigerian Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua despite the public stance for a December 3 Showdown.
Joshua has reportedly accepted all terms on the table to fight Fury and is keen to sign the contractual papers.
However Joshua’s promoter Eddie Jaesrm has a different perspective on the deadline of Monday for the signing of the contract.
Monday is the deadline set by WBC champion Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren.
On Friday, Fury said Joshua “does not want to fight” him, with 3 December being mooted as the date for the bout.
“If he [Fury] really wants to fight, he’ll let the teams deal with it,” said Joshua’s promoter Hearn on Seconds Out.
on Sunday Joshua said “of course I’m going to sign that contract” but that it is “with some lawyers at the moment”.
Fury, 34, offered Joshua the fight despite the 32-year-old suffering a second successive defeat by Oleksandr Usyk in August and failing to regain the WBA (Super), WBO and IBF belts he lost to the Ukrainian in September 2021.
Joshua’s team said they have “accepted all terms” to the offer.
Warren said “there shouldn’t be a reason” why the contract could not be signed on Monday.
“I am hoping on Monday we’ll be able to get it over the line. I don’t think there’s a lot of issues and the only thing I think can hold it up at the minute is the broadcasters,” he told BBC Sport.
“AJ said he wanted the fight. We’ve agreed the financial terms and we’ve told them they can be involved in all the contracts, setting the budgets for the undercard, everything.”
However, Hearn said his team was getting the contract checked, claiming it was “all over the place” after waiting nine days to receive it.
“If he doesn’t [want to fight Joshua], and I guess he doesn’t, then he’ll do what he’ll do and the fans might even fall for it,” Hearn said.
“But what I am seeing, the fans aren’t falling for it.
“We have a meeting on Monday, with DAZN, with BT, with everybody but it’s going to take time. If he wants to put a time frame of Monday on it then it’s clear to the whole public he doesn’t want the fight.
“It’s not getting signed on Monday so if he is walking away on Monday the fight is off.”
Joshua, speaking in a video released on iFL TV’s YouTube channel, reiterated Hearn’s point, saying the contract “ain’t in my hands, it’s with the legal team”.
“You know the history of boxing, make sure you’ve got your legal terms right – that’s why you have good management and good lawyers.”
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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