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Anthony Joshua Wants Tyson Fury Bout at Tottenham Stadium, Talks Deontay Wilder
January 22, 2020
Anthony Joshua will be rooting for Tyson Fury to beat Deontay Wilder in their February 22 rematch, and he hopes he can face his compatriot at Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium in a unification bout.
Per the Mirror's Darren Wells, Joshua was asked about potentially facing the Gypsy King, and he would love to see it happen:
"The doors are open. I'm wishing him well in February. Imagine having that fight, at Tottenham? That would be phenomenal. I'm supporting Fury [against Wilder] because imagine the local kids being able to watch the undisputed championship fight on their doorstep. I'd love it to be here in the UK."
He also talked about a possible fight with Wilder and how negotiations between the two fell through:
"Everyone wants Wilder to win because (a fight with me) is what everyone wants to see. Wilder has a great right hand, I have a great left hand. It is a great boxing match.
"We had a meeting about that. It has great potential. I heard (Wilder and Fury) have a third fight lined up towards the end of the year but we have to throw a curveball in there.
"Something that gets Wilder's attention providing he wins so that he thinks to himself: 'Even though I have a rematch clause, I'll see how I can manipulate my contract, get out of it, and fight for the undisputed championship'."
WBC titleholder Wilder and Fury will run it back on February 22 after their controversial draw in December 2018.
The Gypsy King appeared to be in control of the fight but was knocked down in brutal fashion in the final round.
He survived, but all three judges scored the round 10-8, leading to a split-decision draw:
The result meant both men maintained their unbeaten record. A rematch seemed inevitable as soon as the final scores were read out, and after two bouts in 2019 for each fighter, the second meeting has now been set. There's also a rematch clause in the contract, as Joshua alluded to.
The 30-year-old holds all the remaining top belts in the division―WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO―and fought twice in 2019, with a loss and win against Andy Ruiz Jr.
He's expected to face mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev, while WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk has also been mentioned as a possible opponent.
Per TalkSport's Michael Benson, Joshua has already met with the promoter of the former cruiserweight king:
Fury has named Joshua as one of his ideal opponents, but he said he'll fight Dillian Whyte after beating Wilder, per iFL TV (h/t Benson):
Michael Benson @MichaelBensonn🎯 Tyson Fury has declared that he's got three fights left and named his ideal opponents: 1⃣ Deontay Wilder 2⃣ Anthony Joshua 3⃣ Dillian Whyte 🗣️ On Whyte, Fury said: "He's been mandatory for 2000 days and hasn't had a shot. When I beat Wilder I'll give him a shot." [@IFLTV]
The Gypsy King is one of two men to go the distance with Wilder. Bermane Stiverne, the other one, was knocked out in the first round in his 2017 rematch with the Bronze Bomber.