Tyson Fury vows he will NOT face Anthony Joshua in 2020 because of Deontay Wilder fights
TYSON FURY says he will not be fighting Anthony Joshua next year because he has his hands full in America.
February will see the Gypsy King face Deontay Wilder in a major heavyweight rematch before AJ takes on one of his mandatory challengers back in the UK.
Fans had hoped that, later in the year, triple-belt holder Joshua would get a shot at unifying the division with a bout against the victor of Fury vs Wilder.
The Brit himself seems keen, claiming after his triumph of Andy Ruiz Jr that such a fight “has to happen in 2020”.
But Fury, tied to a multi-million dollar contract with the American broadcaster ESPN, isn’t committing to anything yet.
He told Behind the Gloves: “Whatever, I’ve got three fights left on my ESPN contract in America; Wilder – Wilder and whoever else, another American.
“So yeah, I’ll be pretty busy up until the end of this year and we’ll see what happens from there.
“I can only focus on one fight at a time.”
After his shock New York loss in the summer, AJ brushed aside Ruiz Jr with a 12-round points victory last weekend.
And Fury admitted to being impressed by the two-time champ but poured cold water on the fight’s importance.
The 31-year-old added: “Fair play to AJ, he outboxed a fella who knocked him out before. It takes a lot of guts and boxing ability.
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“I thought he looked fantastic. I’ve heard the criticism. I’d rather win and stink the place out than lose in a very entertaining fight.
“Let’s face it, no-one’s really interested in Ruiz and Joshua. They’re just two other heavyweights on a collision course.
“The real fight is me and Wilder. This is the biggest heavyweight fight of my lifetime – won’t be a bigger one any time soon.”