ANTHONY JOSHUA might be arguably the most marketable attraction in world boxing right now, but that hasn’t stopped Tyson Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, demanding a 50/50 split of the purse for his man should the two ever come to blows in 2019.
Warren is of the belief Fury, currently riding the wave of public goodwill, brings as much to the table as Joshua in any potential heavyweight super-fight and has, for this reason, described an offer made by Team Joshua for the pair to fight on April 13 as “derisory”.
“No offer has been sent to me,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “Hearn sent Tyson an offer over the weekend, but it certainly wasn’t 60/40. It was quite a derisory offer and we haven’t even responded to it.
“He would need 50/50, as simple as that.”
Joshua, the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion, is expected to next box on April 13 at Wembley Stadium but has yet to announce the identity of the opponent. There has been talk of Dillian Whyte, his old rival, getting the nod, and he would appear the front-runner, but Fury, a man more popular than he has perhaps ever been, has also emerged as a long-shot to fill the void. Of the two, the latter is by far the more appealing.
However, given the egos involved in any potential Joshua vs. Fury negotiations, we would count ourselves lucky to see the two share a British ring by April 2020, let alone in a matter of months.
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The only opponent Adrien Broner has managed to stop in the last five years is Britain’s Ashley Theophane, yet this hasn’t stopped the brash American predicting a devastating knockout of Manny Pacquiao when the pair clash this Saturday (January 19).
Since moving to welterweight, ‘The Problem’ has become more of a pecker and prodder than a puncher and has struggled to recapture the form that saw him bag world titles at super-featherweight and lightweight.
A fight with Pacquiao, however, offers Broner the chance to turn his fortunes around, record his first win since July 2017, and, should he fulfil his promise, make quite a splash.
“Every fighter is different, but I know if I touch him flush, I’ll put him out,” Broner said when arriving in Las Vegas for Saturday’s big fight. “It’s no secret, he’s been to sleep before.”
Broner, of course, is referring to the night in December 2012 when Pacquiao walked on to a Juan Manuel Marquez counter right hand and ended up sprawled beneath the bottom rope. That incident, a shocking one at the time, appears an aberration given Pacquiao’s recent form, yet there can be no denying the Filipino legend, now 40 years of age, has probably seen better days.
“A lot of people are saying that Pacquiao’s age will be a factor, but I’m not looking at it like that,” Broner added. “You see guys like Floyd Mayweather who stay undefeated at an older age. I’m just focused on being me. As long as I do what I have to do, I will be victorious.
“We’re ready for whatever this fight is going to end up being. It could definitely be a war. I’ve always been an underdog. I came from the trenches and I’m bringing that mentality into the ring. I can take over boxing with a win over Pacquiao.
“There are a lot of great fighters in this sport, but they just don’t bring what I bring to the table. With a win like this, it would put me right where I was always meant to be.”
It won’t, no. But if Adrien Broner’s ultimate goal is to become a watered-down version of Floyd Mayweather, then a win over Manny Pacquiao, nearly four years after his idol managed it, is certainly a step in the right direction.
