Lets be honest - nobody on here has a clue where the truth lies We are all just expressing opinion based upon the spin we are fed by everyone To me though it looks as though AJ has a point - to a point Wilder admitted to ducking him - but lets be fair they could have had that fight if AJ's team had lessened their demands and given Wilder a bigger share (though I can understand why they would feel it was unwarranted) Fury (and his team) have been awfully quiet until 24 hours before the arbitration decision which is very suspicious AJ (and his team) can only work on what they have been told - the contracts will be undisclosed due to confidentialty - they cannot demand to see them They say they have been told it was nothing to worry about and crack on with setting up the fight TBH they were speculating without a cast iron guarantee - but what ese could they do? Sit and wait it out? I dont believe AJ is 'scared' of Fury or Usyk I believe he is obsessed with being undisputed and therefore wants to fight whoever has the last piece of the puzzle Hearn is clearly protecting his end and wants the biggest pie so he can take his no doubt mega slice of what presumeably is a contract coming to an end Sorry but whilst I like Fury as a boxer he cant be believed in half the things he says He knows full well that AJ wants that belt and he has it He believes he can beat Wilder again - highly probable He also believes AJ will have to fight him to get that belt later The potential fly in the ointment however is now Usyk and the mandatory I think AJ wins that fight but there is never a guarantee and it represents a huge risk to the fight that should e made now If Fury really wanted to seal this he could pay Wilder 20 million instead of offering it up in a (supposed) bare knuckle fight (again money not warranted) I dont think Fury is scared of AJ either but I believe he knows he is not ready, needs a tune-up and that the fight will be a hard day at the office which could potentially burst the bubble he has around him
It's all good pantomime but I can't see how any knowledgeable boxing fan would want to blame any fighter for the arbitration ruling. It makes no sense. Obviously Fury did NOT know Wilder was going to win the arbitration, otherwise he wouldn't have gone throught it in the first place. If they thought Wilder was going to win that ruling, they would have arranged to fight him months ago, and saved the expense of hiring lawyers to fight their case. They didn't need to pretend to set up an AJ fight, they didn't need "an excuse not to fight AJ" , since the contract is the contract. I'm not sure exactly how stupid you'd have to be to think there was a fraud or scam going on here. It makes no sense, unless people believe EVERYONE was in on it.
Why should anyone pay Wilder $20 million ? Just so Fury gets the chance to beat AJ (who's already been beaten anyway) ? Wilder deserves a beating, not a hand-out. Obviously, the bareknuckle offer should be taken with pinch of salt, but the point of the bravado and the bet is that Fury doesn't think he'd lose his stake, so it's nothing like actually giving Wilder 20 million.
None of those fights will do the PPV numbers a fight between Fury and AJ would, it wwas for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Neither are frauds, they're both good fighters. And I don't understand why people keep bringing up the AJ V Wilder thing as if Wilder hasn't ALREADY CAME OUT AND ADMITTED HE DUCKED AJ FOR FURY!! WILDER HIMSELF SAID THIS! He said he could have taken the AJ fight but chose Fury instead, and it's obviously because he thought Fury would be an easy big scalp. Let's face it. Wilder's character is easily the worst out of anyone's. Look at al the excuses he made, even going as far as to alienate himself ot the trainer who got him a title by accusing him of drugging him. You don't think that Wilder should be suspected of ducking more than AJ? Lineal Champion means Jack **** if you haven't had 3 of the belts since 2015! 6 years ago!! You cannot hold onto that forever. He had a rematch vs Wlad and quit before it could happen. I don't think either are frauds, I think they're both good men and good fighters, this feud between them now is either silly or it's just an act to sex up the fight. No one is going to doubt Fury has the most impressive victory under his belt, and looks the more talented fighter all round, but his record compared to AJ's, in terms of opponents fought, isn't comparable. Fury AT THIS BEST is probably the best out of everyone, but CONSISTENCY is important. Fury has NOT proven himself consistent yet. On his day he's the best in the world, but he needs a string of victories under his belt, and I don't consider sefer seferi, pianeta, Swarz and Wallin as victories worth considering, as they're not even Chisora quality.
Not a good look for Fury, turned down the AJ fight 3 times now. Imagine the stick AJ would have got if he was the one backing out the fight last minute to fight Usyk?
Joshua is right , Fury has lead the fans on when he knew all along the fight was a non-starter. He's been on social media non-stop saying the fight is on and telling everyone he's going the smash the big dosser. . Fury was the one who actually confirmed the fight was a go after he spoke with the Saudi Prince on the phone. . He put images of himself in a shroud with a desert background on twitter. Joshua stayed never piped up the whole time and said yes to whatever was asked of him.. Now he has to go and fight Usyk after being strung along for the last 4 months , a guy who will supposedly mop the floor with him.. And that makes him the fraud in this situation!!??
Joshua is quick to open his trap when the event is called off, isn't he? He must be extra pissed off that now Usyk enters the picture once again. Unfortunately for Joshua, Usyk isn't a 5'11'' morbidly obese man fit for My 600 Pound Life who will be dining out on Kentucky Fried Chicken, Papa John's Pizza, McDonalds and Rolls Royce before their bout. Neither is he a 39 year old Pulev whose best wins are Hughie Fury and Dereck Chisora over an 11 year career.
41 YO Wlad was still a very tough opponent though, and would probably KO Wilder. A lesser Joshua beat him. And 38 yo Povetkin would also probably have KO'd Wilder, and Joshua survived him and KO'd him.
I honestly think this could be an IQ issue with Anthony Joshua. Fury correctly states that they knew there was an arbitration going on and that Wilder could get the decision. That's why even recently Fury suggested he could be fighting Wilder. Joshua was confronted with legal concepts that are probably beyond his understanding. He needs simple yes and no answers, simple instructions, no complex situations. I think many people underestimate just how stupid Joshua actually is. He was literally engineered by his handlers, including the whole public persona. Joshua's intelligence may not be Wilder's basement level, but it is still shockingly low. He makes Fury look like a genius, which he certainly isn't.