Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally went face-to-face at today’s press conference, officially announcing their December 11 fight, which will stream live on Netflix from Cardiff, Wales.
It’s been a long, drawn-out process to get this fight done, and that’s just counting the negotiations over the recent months, let alone going back over many prior years, where the fight was discussed, almost happened, and then didn’t for one reason or another.
But all systems are go, and here’s what the key players
had to say today, ahead of what will be the biggest attraction in boxing this year, and one of the biggest sporting events of the year.
Fury and Joshua on their past sparring
Fury: “I’ve sparred a lot of amateur boxers in my time and I’ve been very complimentary to every single one of them. But AJ was in that ring, he knows what happened. He sparred about three, four rounds, then he got out, I sparred his mate. It’s not a lie, why would I lie about it? There was a thing about a Rolex watch, as well. If anyone could drop him, he’d give them a Rolex watch, and guess what? I left that building with a fuckin’ Rolex on.”
Joshua: “He left the ring with his Rolex watch, but he also left the ring with a black eye, as well. … I can’t remember it, it was so many years ago. … He spoke about it, it wasn’t me. He had more memories than I did. For me, it was another day. It’s what I was built to do. I found my calling. He was the one who went online and spoke to Steve Bunce about the experience. I didn’t take much away from it. Sparring is sparring, he knows that. Sparring stories are supposed to be kept in the gym. The most important thing is the fight night that’s going to happen December 11th.”
Fury: “I have trouble remembering last week, never mind remembering what happened 16 years ago in a sparring match. What I do recall, though, is AJ getting whacked around the body and putting his knees up in the corner. I do remember that. And he says I left with a black eye — I’ve had a fucking thousand black eyes, cut lips, cut eyes, everything, so that’s nothing new.”
MORE: Fury jabs AJ about being A-side, offers to have a drink after the fight
Tyson Fury
On Joshua’s rise to stardom: “During the time when AJ become world champion, I was getting drunk every day and taking cocaine every week. So I wasn’t really concentrating on anybody else but my own wellbeing at that time. Obviously we’ve all had our own problems, and we’re not going to get into problems, we’re not here for that. But listen, the one thing I will say — all the banter and all the trying to sell the show aside, this man’s a two-time world champion, Olympic gold medalist, he’s been a role model and a poster boy for British boxing for years. I mostly find myself defending my arch rival to fans I meet on the street. I say to them, if you could achieve 10 percent of what this man’s achieved, you’d be fuckin’ doing well. That aside, obviously, we’re here to fight, and fight we will. I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s been 10 years in the making. We’ve both had our ups and downs, and finally, we’re arrived at this moment. I’m 38, AJ’s 37 or will be 37 soon. People say, ‘Is it too late?’ Is it fucking too late? It’s the icing on the cake of two great careers, to throw down in front of 80,000 people, and may the best man win. Let’s go out fuckin’ swinging.”
On his strategy against Joshua: “I’m gonna come out and blast him out of there. It will be gunfight at the OK Corral. The best man’s gonna win. I ain’t gonna run away, I’m not gonna box, I’m gonna throw down. From what I’m seeing, I’m going to catch him, and when I do, it’s going to be curtains. And that’s it.”
On being in Britain’s biggest fight ever: “I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s been some brilliant fights in this country, and in the biggest division, the glory division of the heavyweights, this is the biggest of today. I don’t believe in comparing different eras and different times together, we can only be the biggest of our generation and our time. Me and AJ’s gonna go there and throw down. It’s just an unbelievable event, because it’s been simmering nicely for about a decade and a half. It’s been an unbelievable journey having both of us together, both coming from the same country, both going out there and dominating, winning world championships and beating all the comers. We’ve had our ups and downs, you’ve all seen it live on TV. Finally now, towards the end of it all, we get to fight each other on the world’s biggest stage, with the world’s biggest broadcaster, and everybody’s gonna be there. And everybody’s gonna want to be there anymore. … As a boxing fan, which I am, this is the one that I would want to see more than any other fight in the world today. There isn’t a fight out there that can even come close to the excitement and what’s gonna happen, the build-up, everything. It’s just a whole event, a global event, where everybody can watch it.”
On being born to fight: “From a little kid, it’s all I ever wanted to do was be a fighter, be a world champion. I got the opportunity and I seized the moment. I was the most unlikely child to be a champion — fat, awkward, gangly, all of the above. I never let anybody dissuade me on ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ yada yada yada. I always pushed through when the odds were stacked against me, for many different reasons.”
On the differences in their builds: “I’m just living proof that if you believe in yourself, and you work hard and dedicate yourself to something, then no matter what you look like, what build you are, what background you come from, you can achieve anything. I stand here today as the most awkwardly built world heavyweight champion in the history of sport. I’m a bald, fat, bearded, ugly, slow, ponderous, all of the above, whatever people want to say. But at the end of the day, I get shit done. And then you got this guy here, he’s carved in stone like he’s made of marble, and every time he gets cracked on the jaw, he falls over. That’s also true! … When I crack him on the jaw with a right hand, he’s gonna go down like a sack of shit.”
Anthony Joshua
On how he feels physically: “God is good! I feel fresh, I feel very excited about this opportunity to work again. … I’m happy. Honestly, I’m grateful.”
On how he responds to big pressure: “I don’t know what it is, I’ve just got something in me. I just can do what I do. When I walked in the gym when I was 18 years old, three years later I was fighting for Great Britain in the Olympics. I turned pro, three years later I was world champion. It’s just what I do. It’s not complicated. I don’t find (boxing) too complicated, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s spirit vs spirit, it’s just man vs man, and the best man will win.”
On the Ngannou fights with Fury and Joshua: “With Ngannou, he just wanted to impose his will, but my will was stronger and I got the victory. I trained for Ngannou like I did with every other fighter, same way Fury did. There are comparisons in fights, of course, but me and (Fury) haven’t stepped in the ring. So I can’t say I’m gonna do this, because he done this to this fighter, and I done that to that fighter, because we haven’t stepped in the ring yet.”
On whether he can be the man to KO Fury: “I’m willing to take and take punch after punch and keep moving forward until my hand’s raised. I’m looking forward to it. I know it’s going to be difficult, not in the sense that I’m not capable, but I know every fight has its challenges. I’m just looking forward to keep on pushing forward until I get that victory, because it’s just what’s in me.”
On Fury predicting a KO: “This is the energy that we want. This is a fight. There’s nothing else I expect from this man than to say he’s going to render me unconscious and do everything he can to stick me to the canvas. But this is what’s going to keep me running, keep me sparring, do them extra rounds in the gym. I want to perform to prove to myself what he says is not impossible, and for everyone that’s coming out to support me, to live up to the expectations that they have of me.”
On being in Britain’s biggest fight ever: “It’s breathtaking, and I’m not saying that lightly. I’m really grateful for this opportunity, especially bringing it to Great Britain, because I know, honestly speaking, I know in pubs people have had proper fights over who’s gonna win between me and Tyson. I know family members have fell out with each other about who’s gonna win. We’re gonna inspire this inspire this generation, and I know for a fact we’re going to inspire the next generation. That’s why it was important (to have the fight in Britain), because before anyone knew us internationally, when I was watching Tyson fight John McDermott in leisure centres and so on, now we’re on a global stage and achieving massive things. It was people from this country that supported us.”
On his strategic approach: “There’s strategy and then there’s passion. I’ve just got to be there from the first to the last minute, just be very well-conditioned, 15-round fit like the old school fighters. Calisthenics, running, and sparring, and do my part in the fight to make it great. There’s nothing more to it. Don’t overcomplicate it, just do what I’ve got to do to make it a great fight. I’ll be a great dance partner for him.”
On AJ’s response to people saying he can’t take a punch: “People have their views and their views are respected, but that is their opinion. I can only listen to myself. Nobody knows more about boxing than me, so whatever people say about me, I’ve just got to listen to myself. Nobody knows about boxing more than me. I’m great. I’m good. I’ll be honest, I’ve been around, I’ve been to gym to gym, coach to coach, specialists of the gym, I’ve trained with some of the best fighters that there’s ever been in this generation. I’ve learned so much and I can use it for every competition. I’m going to take everything I’ve learned into this fight.”
