Anthony Joshua has ‘every reason’ to stand his ground in negotiations for the Tyson Fury fight, which is looking ‘less and less likely’, says Sky Sports expert Johnny Nelson.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that Joshua signed a contract to fight Fury at Wembley amid an ongoing dispute over the location of the fight, with Madison Square Garden in New York also being considered as a potential venue.
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Eddie Hearn released a statement last week saying that Wembley is still being considered as the host venue for the fight
Nelson believes Joshua and his team are even more determined to get the fight entirely on their terms after the unified champion displayed his vulnerabilities while being floored twice in his comeback win over Kristian Prenga.
“No, I don’t [think Fury vs Joshua will happen],” Nelson told Sky Sports.
“Unless the other side decides to lay down and say: ‘You know what, we’ll give you what you want’. No, I don’t.
“I think Anthony Joshua and [his promotional team] Matchroom Boxing have every reason to stand their ground.
“Firstly, because you look at Anthony Joshua’s last performance; that doesn’t fill you with confidence.
“Secondly, because they’ve signed a contract and so, if they’re going to embark on this fight, they’re going to say: ‘This is what we asked for; if you don’t want to do it, that’s a you problem’.”
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Tyson Fury’s manager Spencer Brown admits he is concerned about the delay in announcing the fight
Hearn has revealed that he held fresh talks with London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a bid to ensure the two Brits fight in front of a home crowd, despite concerns over a later curfew for Wembley Stadium.
But Nelson believes Joshua and his team’s insistence that the terms of the contract should be followed could mean the bout is not agreed.
“I think it’s less and less likely to happen,” said Nelson.
“They have put the pressure on. Sadiq Khan has got involved, and he’s said: ‘We’re going to do everything possible to make this happen and bring this business to the UK’.
“Anthony Joshua has said to Eddie Hearn, ‘We’ve got a contract; stick to the contract. No nudging; this is what we’re doing.
“Unless Turki Alalshikh [who is organising the fight] and Tyson [Fury], say: ‘All right, let’s do this.’
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Hearn revealed he has spoken to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan about bringing the fight to Wembley
“I think that the chance of the fight happening is less and less.
“If I were Team AJ, I’d do the same, because AJ’s performance didn’t fill me with complete and utter belief that this will go our way.
“I’m quite sure if it was the other way around and Tyson Fury was the one who performed as AJ did in his last fight, even though he fought the night before, I’m quite sure this wouldn’t be as much of an issue.
“I think it just adds to the issue.”
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