PETER FURY, trainer and uncle of heavyweight supremo Tyson Fury, is eager for his charge to fight Anthony Joshua, who he feels is ‘not a serious test’.
WBA and WBO champion Fury’s scheduled rematch with Wladimir Klitschko has been postponed until October after the champion injured his ankle during training.
He is currently fending off doping allegations and criticism of his presence in France, where he was filmed partying with football fans, however Peter remains focused on retaining Tyson’s status as the top heavyweight in the world.
“I’ve got a message for all of them out there; they can pray that something’s going to go wrong with Team Fury – Tyson’s coming, we’re not looking past Klitschko but we look forward to that fight with Joshua and we’ll put that to bed,” he told Boxing News.
“We’ll soon see who the best heavyweight on the planet is. Even when Tyson puts that to bed it won’t matter to us, we don’t see it as a serious test. The real tests, right now, are Luis Ortiz, Deontay Wilder – who at first I didn’t think much of but is now a good champion who’s improving – and of course Klitschko. They’re the ones I see as the threats out there.”
Tyson will require four to five weeks of recovery and physiotherapy on his ankle before returning to training, and the unfortunate delay is yet another hurdle on his quest to more big fights.
Ortiz is currently wrapped up in an absurd WBA tournament (of sorts) which will see him fight Alexander Ustinov on September 17 while Wilder will defend his WBC title against undeserving Chris Arreola on July 16.
IBF champion Joshua made the first defence of his title against Dominic Breazeale at the weekend, hammering the American into defeat over seven one-sided rounds. His next move has not yet been confirmed, though it is becoming incresingly likely to come against unbeaten New Zealander Joseph Parker, who recently outpointed Carlos Takam to become Joshua’s mandatory.
“I also see Joseph Parker as a good fighter. That was a very good fight he had with Takam, it showed us some good things, and he’s a fighter who’s improving as well,” Fury continued.
“I think Joshua’s improving all the time as well, he’ll get better, I just think the hype around him is way, way too soon. He’s getting better but he has a long, long way to go.
“People are too critical, but I’m not – he’s getting there and Breazeale wasn’t stone useless, he’s a big guy who throws punches. But let’s be honest, we know Breazeale’s level.”
Peter is intrigued to see how the mandatory situation between Joshua and Parker will play out, but is also keen for ‘AJ’ to meet his nephew in the near future. There were discussions held with Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, over a fight in November, though the postponement of the Klitschko fight will delay those hopes.
Hearn has made several claims about Joshua’s standing in the world, and while Fury disagrees, it is impossible to downplay the marketability and crossover appeal of the Olympic champion. Peter acknowledges the role Hearn has played in maneuvering Joshua into the limelight, which seems to grow brighter with each outing.
“If you want to make a big claim about having the best heavyweight on the planet, well make his next fight against a serious talent,” Fury said.
“Don’t go and fight a bum and then claim he’s the best heavyweight on the planet because if you really believe that, why are you matching him with those types of fighters?
“Eddie Hearn is a great promoter and knows what he’s doing in that sense, but I’m just talking in boxing terms here. He’s a good fighter but he’s nowhere near the elite level.”
Joshua is only 17 fights into his paid career and while he has looked mightily impressive in toppling everyone he’s fought so far, he is the first to admit he’s still learning on the job.
However, with the IBF’s red and gold trinket around his waist, the call for tougher fights is growing louder and a fight with Fury would be titanic.
