TYSON FURY says there is a very real possibility that an all-British superfight with Anthony Joshua might never happen despite his return to the sport.
Fury is free to box again after accepting a backdated two-year ban from UKAD relating to elevated levels of the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.
The 29-year-old has not been seen in the ring since he dethroned then-heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko thanks to a memorable unanimous decision victory in Dusseldorf in November 2015.
LONG TIME AGO: Fury [right] outscores Klitschko in November 2015 – his most recent fight
Fury ballooned to 27st during his two-year absence and has faced a well-documented battle against depression but has already shed four stone after getting back in the gym.
The Gypsy King is hoping to make his return early next year and it has been suggested that he could even be ready to face IBF and WBA champion Joshua in the summer with his promoter Eddie Hearn keen to match them at some point in 2018.
But Fury has cast doubts over that showdown ever taking place and warned that it could become this generation’s answer to Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe, which infamously fell by the wayside.
“It would be the biggest fight in British boxing history but the question is will that fight ever happen?” said Fury, who is here in Montreal to support his close friend Billy Joe Saunders when he takes on David Lemieux.
“For me that’s the big question. I think there are a lot of doubts about whether that will ever happen.
“If we can’t come to an agreement then the fight is not going to happen.
“We saw this once before with Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe. Let’s hope it doesn’t go down that road and let’s hope they sign the contract and get the fight on.
“I just see them trying to dictate everything and I will not be dictated to by anybody. They either meet my demands or they will get nothing. It’s as simple as that.”
LOOKING AT YOU, KID: Joshua must meet Fury’s demands or there’s no fight
Hearn has made no secret of his desire to sign the returning Fury to Matchroom Boxing which would, in theory, help his quest to pit Joshua against the former IBF, WBA and WBO king.
But when asked if he would consider signing with Hearn, Fury said: “I don’t know about that. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to join the enemy.
“That’s how I see them at the moment – they are the enemy, they are my enemy.”
Within a month of Fury’s victory over Klitschko, Joshua beat Dillian Whyte in London to become British champion.
Since that night he has picked up the WBA and IBF world titles and also defended them both successfully.
But Fury is not impressed by Joshua’s progress in his absence and says the 2012 Olympic gold medalist has not improved at all.
“He’s still the same man he was when I last boxed two years ago,” Fury said. “He’s still the same, just a bit heavier and with a few more muscles on him. That’s it really.
“The man can’t box, he’s not a boxer, he’s a brawler. When he gets in there with someone who can box and move, he will get beaten, it’s as simple as that.
“When I say these things, I don’t say it because I don’t like somebody, I say it because I know the truth. The truth of the matter is, he will get his head punched in by anyone who can box and move a bit.
“He can never change that because you can never make a carthorse into a racehorse. He’s not built for movement and speed, he’s built for power.
“You can’t make a power man a speed man and without speed and movement in heavyweight boxing you’re a limited fighter.”
Another Matchroom fighter, Tony Bellew, has also been linked with a clash against Fury once he is fit enough to return to the ring.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Fury tried to tempt Bellew but couldn’t halt Haye [right] rematch
But the undefeated heavyweight traveller said: “No. That bird has flown away now. They had an option to sign a contract, they didn’t sign it. If it does happen from here then it’s my way or the highway.
“There has been a lot of hard work which has gone in, a lot of torture both mentally. But that’s all behind me now and I’m looking forward to a big year in 2018 and an ever bigger 2019.
“I think I bring the excitement in the division, I bring it all. Without me it’s boring and it would go back to the Klitschko days.
“Deontay Wilder is doing his thing, talking a little bit, but AJ doesn’t say anything. None of the other guys talk. You need somebody like me, who is controversial. I’m back, I’m here.
“It seems that these days, undefeated fighters don’t want to fight each other. That is what can destroy boxing, everyone fights each other when it’s too late. I don’t want that in our era. This is a great time to be a heavyweight boxer – there are a lot of good heavyweights out there at the minute.
“Everyone can fight each other and everyone, on their night, is capable of beating everyone. I think it’s a very exciting time for the division and now I’m back it makes it a little more spicey.
“But whoever wants to be the big papa has got to come through me first.”
