Top boxing promoter Lou DiBella has branded the proposed fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua as a 'cash out' for Joshua, saying that such an opportunity may not come around again.
A proposed fight between the British pair has been rumoured to be taking place on December 3rd at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. This will see Joshua accept a 60:40 split with Joshua, with the WBC heavyweight champion taking the lion's share of the purse.
This has led to Joshua himself reportedly admitting that this could be his last such chance for a huge heavyweight title fight. This is due to either Joe Joyce or Joseph Parker becoming mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk's WBO belt in their fight which takes place in Manchester this Saturday.
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It is Joshua's difficult current position, having lost three of his last five fights, which has led to the 'cash out' claims from DiBella, with the top promoter and former Deontay Wilder representative suggesting that it is the best current option open to Joshua to pursue a fight with Fury.
The American told Seconds Out : “Joshua didn’t fight poorly against Usyk. He fought better than he fought [the first time], he just lost to a better boxer. If he was going to win the fight and fight Fury, is it so outrageous that he lost the fight and he’s going to fight Fury? No.
“But coming off that fight, two losses in a row, rushing to make year-end, to fight Fury on Fury’s timetable when you haven’t had the easiest stretch and you haven’t won a fight in a while... it almost seems like a cash-out to me. Like, you know: ‘Hey, here’s maybe my last opportunity to make this fight ever.
“I’m sure that there will be massive money in that fight in the UK. I’m sure it’s a fight that’s gonna transcend boxing in the UK. So, I get it as a business proposition.
“I guess there’s nothing of the enormity of Fury and Joshua in the UK, and that maybe everybody involved just wants to grab the cash when there’s still a chance, right? There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not the fight I most want to see.”
There has been no official announcement so far for the fight, but it is looking likely that a deal may be agreed in the near future with both parties speaking extensively on the subject.
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