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Fury and Joshua Exchange Jokes at Press Conference
Confirmed
In Short: The press conference was a surreal moment, with the two fighters exchanging pleasantries and jokes, setting the stage for what promises to be a highly anticipated fight.
Two-time heavyweight world champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally met face-to-face in London for a press conference, marking the end of years of public feuding and false starts.
Fury, 38, praised Joshua, 36, as a role model and poster boy for British boxing, while Joshua spoke about the magnitude of the event and the anticipation it has generated among fans.
The mood was light-hearted, with Joshua jokingly appearing ready to tickle Fury's stomach during a face-off, a moment that highlighted the mutual respect between the two fighters.
Despite the friendly atmosphere, Fury remained confident, promising an all-out battle and a knockout victory. 'This man here is carved in stone and every time he gets cracked on the jaw, he falls over,' Fury said, referring to Joshua.
Joshua, in turn, revealed that he has been in contact with Fury's uncle Peter, who could play a role in his fight camp. 'Me and Peter get along,' Joshua said, adding that he might get intel on their training approach.
The press conference also saw a tense moment when promoter Turki Alalshikh mentioned Dana White, causing the crowd to boo and Eddie Hearn to laugh, adding to their ongoing promotional dispute.
Fury and Joshua also reminisced about their first sparring session in 2010, with Fury claiming he had the upper hand and Joshua suggesting the encounter left Fury with a black eye.
The event marked the first official face-off between Fury and Joshua ahead of their December 11 clash at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Fury admitted he can't remember anything that happened last week, let alone what happened all those years ago, highlighting the long history between the two fighters.
Body language expert Darren Stanton noted that Joshua had a slight edge over Fury during the press conference, suggesting he was taking the sting out of Fury's favorite game of working the crowd.
The press conference was a surreal moment, with the two fighters exchanging pleasantries and jokes, setting the stage for what promises to be a highly anticipated fight.
What this adds
The press conference was the first official face-off between Fury and Joshua, who have been on each other's radar for 16 years.
Background
Two-time heavyweight world champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua met for a cordial press conference in London, trading jokes and discussing a post-fight pint.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will face off in Cardiff, Wales, on December 11.
What's confirmed
- "He's been a role model and poster boy for British boxing for years," Fury, 38, said of Joshua.
- Is he gonna have him?’ But the former WBC champion was then quick to shoot down suggestions of it handing his rival any advantage, insisting it makes Joshua look ‘mentally weak.’ ‘Don’t forget I left Ben Davison to go with SugarHill [Steward] because he wasn’t good enough,’ Fury said.
- At long last, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua stood side-by-side with the boxing world now counting the days until their Battle of Britain.
- The giants of British boxing shared the stage at a rather cordial press conference on Wednesday evening, exchanging a few jokes and even discussing a few post-fight pints once the dust settles in Cardiff on 11 December.
- Perhaps the most notable line from the evening was Joshua’s revelation that he has been in contact with Fury’s uncle Peter, who could have a role to play in his fight camp in the coming weeks and months.
- Me and Peter get along.’ Asked what sort of intel he might get from Fury the trainer, Joshua added: ‘Yeah, but not about Fury, but our training and our approach, how I can approach the fight.
- Peter Fury trained ‘The Gypsy King’ when he famously conquered Wladimir Klitschko to win his first world titles in 2015.
- Joshua’s comments got a reaction out of Fury, who insisted there was no Corleone family-style treachery in the family.
- There was also confirmation that Ben Davison will be Joshua’s lead trainer for this fight.
- Davison has previously worked with Fury with Josh Taylor, Leigh Wood, Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma among the high-profile fighters who have placed their faith in the 33-year-old.
- Even when the bout was announced by The Ring and co last Thursday, it would only be a day before we were all snapped back into reality on Friday when reports emerged the bout was already in jeopardy due to squabbling about Dana White’s involvement (no sign of him today though Zuffa colleague Nick Khan was there) alongside Fury’s since resolved failure to enrol in the contracted drug testing protocols.
- “I’ve got nothing against Eddie Hearn,” Fury said of Joshua’s promoter.
What's still developing
- Fury & Joshua in London for news conference as doubts ease Tyson Fury (left) and Anthony Joshua (right) have competed in a combined 21 world title fights There was something almost surreal about seeing Fury and Joshua finally sitting side by side after so many years in which their rivalry had existed mostly through interviews, social media and failed negotiations.
- When the news conference began, master of ceremonies Michael Buffer introduced the pair as fireworks shot up from the front of the stage.
- "I'm really grateful for this opportunity and bringing it to Great Britain because I know people in pubs have had proper fights about who will win and family members have fallen out." The mood was perhaps best summed up at the face-off, when Joshua smiled and pretended to tickle Fury's stomach.
- Fury publicly praised Joshua's enormous contribution to British boxing and his achievements as a former world champion.
- In turn, Joshua recalled his historic triumph over Volodymyr Klitschko at Wembley and emphasized the importance of bringing world titles back to Britain.
- Both athletes appeared to be in great spirits, and the stare-down ended with smiles, with Joshua jokingly appearing ready to tickle his opponent.
- However, the friendly jokes do not diminish the seriousness of their intentions.
- Tyson Fury has already promised to engage in an all-out battle and knock out his opponent.
- Fury described the fight as the “icing on the cake” of their careers and said the long-awaited contest had been building for years.
- They entered from opposite sides at the same time - Joshua relaxed and composed in a grey tracksuit and sunglasses, Fury in more flamboyant fashion in a vivid emerald-green suit covered in crown motifs over a white shirt.
- The exchange highlighted the role Alalshikh has played in bringing together major boxing events while also acknowledging Hearn's work as a longtime promoter.
- We had a minute’s silence, instigated by Joshua who lost two of his closest friends in a car crash as recently as December.