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Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, who co-promotes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, believes Anthony Joshua would get demolished if a fight moved forward in the fall.
Joshua is looking to return at the end of the year – as he hopes to bounce back after suffering back to back decision losses to IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury wanted to face Usyk in the coming months – but the unified beltholder is not looking to fight until the first quarter of 2023 at the earliest.
Earlier this week, Fury made a direct proposal to Joshua, with a 60-40 monetary split for a year-end showdown in the UK.
There are ongoing discussions between Fury’s co-promoter, Queensberry Promotions, and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn.
Arum has serious doubts that Hearn would place Joshua in such a dangerous fight after his boxer suffered very tough back to back defeats.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Arum said to Boxing Social. “While Fury would want it to happen, I put myself in the shoes of Eddie Hearn and Joshua, and, after losing twice to Usyk, the first thing you want to do is get him back in the ring and get him two fights where it restores confidence. If he goes back in the ring now with Fury, it’s going to be a massacre.”
As far as the terms for such a fight, Arum feels the 60% split in favor of Fury is justified give the circumstances.
“I think that [the purse split] is pretty fair, right? I mean, Joshua’s not a champion anymore. But again, let’s not jump – I don’t believe that Fury against Joshua will happen this year because everything that I know about boxing, from Joshua’s standpoint, indicates that it won’t happen,” Arum said.