Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has declared his fighter has accepted a proposed bout with Tyson Fury.
The Gypsy King went public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushes to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.
Fury and Joshua had an agreement to fight in Saudi Arabia in August 2021 but those plans came crashing down after a judge ordered Deontay Wilder to be granted his rematch with Fury.
But now the fight looks likely to go ahead, and is set to be held in the UK, after Hearn confirmed an offer has been accepted.
"We offered Tyson Fury the fight when he wasn't champion, at 60-40, and he turned it down; he asked for 50-50," he told IFL TV.
"I spoke to AJ [this time], and he said, 'Look, I don't believe he's for real, but yeah, I'll take the fight. See what the offer is'.
"They came back yesterday, and me and George [Warren] kind of had an agreement that we weren't gonna talk about it, but obviously Fury came out and basically let the world know the offer.
"Sixty-forty was the offer, as Tyson said. They want a rematch clause, and they asked for a date at the beginning of November [for the initial fight].
"I don't know whether that was a wind-up or whatever, but we just went back this morning and said: 'We think, I think particularly, he deserves more than 40 per cent, but he's happy. And I don't make the decisions, he does'.
"So, I went back this morning and said: 'We accept 60-40, we want that reversed in a rematch, rightfully so. [Fury is] the champion here, you want the biggest split, which I think is fair - and we want to do the fight in December'."
Fury said on Wednesday that his team had secured provisional dates for Wembley and Cardiff, with Hearn suggesting December 17 as a good option for the bout.
Hearn added: "Interestingly, they have [a date booked for] 17 December held at [what was formerly] Millenium Stadium, so that's perfect. That's perfect for us."
Tyson Fury has claimed his team has provisionally booked dates at Wembley and Cardiff for a potential 'Battle of Britain' clash with Anthony Joshua, with a date at Manchester United's Old Trafford seen as "too short".
The WBC heavyweight champion has laid down the mantle to his compatriot in attempts to finally give fans the fight they have been crying out for, although not with the same stakes as previously anticipated.
Fury and Joshua had an agreement to fight in Saudi Arabia in August 2021, which would have been a unification of the three leading heavyweight titles, but plans collapsed after a US judge ruled Deontay Wilder's rematch with Fury should go ahead.
While Fury was able to defeat the Bronze Bomber, Joshua lost his titles to Oleksandr Usyk and lost again to the Ukrainian in last month's rematch.
That seemed to spell the end of Joshua's stint at the top of the heavyweight game but Fury has offered a shot at his WBC belt later this year, with Usyk not planning to fight until 2023 due to injuries.
Fury has made his proposals public knowledge on social media and explained why he has gone in with a 60/40 offer, while adding venues have been provisionally booked.
"I think it's more than generous. I didn't want to go in at 80/20 like they would do to me," he told TalkSport.
"I really want this fight to happen because Usyk the middleweight doesn't want no smoke like I thought he didn't and now I'm going after AJ. I've already beaten Wilder and there's only one other person and that's AJ the bodybuilder.
"Why not give him 40 per cent, no excuses, let's get the fight made for the British public. the Battle of Britain, who's going to win it, me or him?
"He only had a sparring contest [against Usyk] didn't he? He's match fit, coming off a training camp. I've seen they're trying to wriggle a bit with the dates.
"We had Manchester United football ground booked for November 12 but they're saying that's too short.
"Even better, we've got Wembley booked for November 26 and if he doesn't want that I even have December 3 in Cardiff, so take your pick you dosser."
Wembley was the venue for Fury's knockout of Dillian Whyte in April, while Cardiff played host to Joshua's 2018 victory against Joseph Parker.
Due to the winter months proposed, Cardiff's Principality Stadium may be the preferred option due to the closing roof.
Jake Paul will return to the boxing ring to face UFC legend Anderson Silva at Phoenix's Gila River Arena on October 29.
Paul has not fought since his sixth-round knockout of Tyron Woodley in December 2021, his second of two wins against the former UFC welterweight champion.
Before that, Paul had knocked out Ben Askren and after overcoming Woodley for a second time was meant to face Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. before both fights fell apart in August.
YouTube star Paul has made somewhat of a name for fighting former professionals from the octagon, with the next challenge coming against former UFC middleweight champion Silva.
While holding the record for most consecutive victories in UFC (16), 47-year-old Silva boasts a 3-1 tally as a professional boxer, beating the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
He retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 after five losses from his last six fights, albeit against world-class opponents.
The bout will be contested at 187 pounds over eight three-minute rounds, the weight Paul claims Anderson's team requested.
"The plan is for me to fight at 185 [pounds] going forward and that's what I wanted this fight at given it was the weight Anderson Silva fought at during his reign as the most dominant UFC champion ever," Paul told ESPN.
"Anderson's team asked if we could set the weight at 187, two pounds more than what I wanted. That level of professionalism and precision is appreciated, and of course I agreed to his request."
Paul hailed the capabilities of Anderson with a statement to announce the clash, pointing to his victory over Chavez as proof of his boxing ability.
"Anderson 'The Spider' Silva is the most versatile fighter the world has ever seen," the statement said. "Just a year ago he outclassed boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and showed the world why he is often referred to as the greatest fighter of all time.
"Every expert, from MMA to boxing, has said Jake Paul won't fight Anderson Silva. They said Jake Paul is afraid of Anderson Silva, and Jake Paul would lose to Anderson Silva.
"Well, to all the non-believers – Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva. It's an honour to have the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest UFC striker of all time.
"On Saturday, October 29, I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend and do my best to exterminate 'The Spider'."
Anthony Joshua has been offered 40 per cent of the fight purse to take on Tyson Fury, who has said the ball is now in his would-be opponent's court.
A fight between heavyweights Fury and Joshua has long-been mooted.
Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch last month, failing to regain his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles from the Ukrainian.
Usyk seemed set to take on Fury for the WBC belt, yet instead it seems a clash between the Brits is more likely.
Fury wants to fight Joshua before 2022 is out, with the latter tweeting on Monday that he would be "ready in December".
On Tuesday, Fury revealed the details of the offer made to Joshua.
"I'm being bombared with messages on, 'How much am I gonna pay AJ?'", Fury said in a video shared on social media.
"Everyone's saying 80-20, 70-30, 75-25. The actual answer is: I've offered him 60-40; 40 per cent of this amazing fight, because I want this fight to happen.
"He doesn’t have any excuses now not to take it. He can't say I've low-balled him and offered him 20 per cent, 30 per cent.
"I've offered the people 40 per cent, take it or leave it. Let us know. Boom."
Fury subsequently tweeted: "He will never get a better offer. Straight WBC Boxing shot, the ball is in your court @anthonyjoshua."
Tyson Fury has taken to social media to offer Antony Joshua a WBC heavyweight championship fight amid delays to his plans to face Oleksandr Usyk in a unification bout.
Fury has made several U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and has been widely touted to be Usyk's next opponent following his split-decision win over Joshua in Jeddah last month.
But the Ukrainian is reportedly ready to wait until 2023 for his next bout, leading Fury to vow he would "wait around for nobody" on Sunday.
Fury, who has 32 wins and one draw from his 33 professional fights, promised to announce a new opponent within the next few days, and the 34-year-old appears to have his sights set on Joshua.
"Tyson Fury here, aka the Gypsy King, the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, as you can tell," Fury said in a video posted to Instagram, wearing his belts.
"I think you've all heard that I'm going to be fighting soon, within the next few months, and I think that before I announce an opponent, I need to do this, just in case.
"Anthony Joshua, I know you've just lost a fight to Usyk and you're beltless at the moment, and I'd like to give you an opportunity to fight me for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world in the next few months.
"You're coming off a 12-round fight, so you're match-fit, you're ready.
"I'm giving you a few months notice, if you're interested I'll send you the date over and we can have a rumble, a battle of Britain for the WBC championship.
"Let me know if you're interested. If not, I will select another opponent. Thank you very much, and good night."
A bout between Fury and Joshua has been rumoured for several years. Should it be arranged, it would represent a huge chance at redemption for Joshua, who had lost three of his last five fights after winning each of his first 22.
Tyson Fury declared "never say never" about joining WWE after playing a starring role at Clash at the Castle in the Cardiff.
The 34-year-old featured at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, joining in the headline clash between champion Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.
Fury left his front-row seat in Cardiff when Austin Theory attempted to cash in his 'money in the bank' contract before downing the 25-year-old.
Reigns emerged victorious by pinning McIntyre before the pair were greeted in the ring by Fury, who treated the crowd to a rendition of Don McLean's 'American Pie'.
While Fury waits for a heavyweight unification clash against Oleksandr Usyk, he refused to rule out moving to WWE after his boxing career comes to an end.
"At the moment I'm a heavyweight world champion, and I have plenty of fights I have to take care of over the next few years," Fury responded when asked about the prospect of joining WWE.
"But I really, really have a passion for WWE. Never say never."
"Usyk was calling me out after his last fight with [Anthony] Joshua, I've replied and said let's do the fight this year, wherever they want to do it," Fury said.
"I've been waiting for offers from countries to come forward, and all of a sudden Usyk has stated he doesn't want to fight anymore, he wants to fight next year, not this year.
"So I'm not going to wait around for anybody, I'm announcing a fight next week."
Tyson Fury has issued a fresh challenge to Oleksandr Usyk, responding to the latest comments from the Ukrainian where he referred to the WBC heavyweight champion as a 'crazy guy'.
Usyk successfully defended his belts against Anthony Joshua in last month's rematch, clearing the way for boxing fans to secure the unification fight they have long been waiting for on the heavyweight stage.
Fury had claimed he would retire following his win against Dillian Whyte in April but has since made it clear he is open to returning to the ring for a unification bout against Usyk.
Former middleweight fighter Usyk spoke about the prospect of facing off against Fury earlier this week, stating: "I want the WBC title. It was captured by the gypsies, some kind of king.
"We don't know what Tyson has in his head. Everyone knows that this is a very crazy guy. I would really like this fight to happen next year."
That sparked a fiery response from Fury, who directed jibes at Usyk's former middleweight status and named three prospective dates for a potential bout.
"Usyk, middleweight, you say you want the WBC and it's held by gypsies, it is held by gypsies and it's held by the gypsy king, it's held tightly," he said in a social media video.
"All rounds lead to a seven-foot behemoth who will absolutely destroy you, middleweight, you will get smashed to bits.
"You said you wanted to fight me after you beat the bodybuilder [Joshua], called me out on television, and now you're being a little b****, saying you've got injuries.
"You ain't got no injuries, you had a sparring contest. Get out and fight in December, you let your mouth go, now let's see if you can back it up.
"Doesn't matter if it's December, April or August next year, the outcome will be the same, I will obliterate you. I am a seven foot, 20 stone behemoth and I will destroy you. Find your balls, come see me."
One of the most famous power punchers to ever live, Earnie Shavers, passed away on Thursday a day after his 78th birthday.
Shavers amassed a 74-14-1 record between 1969 and 1995, and he was 54-5-1 by 1977 when he earned a world heavyweight title fight against Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden.
Shavers lost a 15-round decision to Ali, who famously declared after the fight "Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk in Africa".
Fellow heavyweights often spoke of Shavers' power, with George Foreman once telling David Letterman during a late-night talk show conversation about the hardest punchers he ever faced "I never fought Earnie Shavers, thank goodness".
Of his 74 career wins, 68 came by knockout, including 23 in the first round.
Tyson Fury has set a one-week deadline for "suitors" to "come up with the money" to fight him.
Fury claimed before and after retaining his WBC world heavyweight title by stopping Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April that the all-British fight would be the last of his career.
Yet talked has turned to a unification bout between the 34-year-old and WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk following the Ukrainian's second victory over Anthony Joshua on Saturday.
Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk said a fight with Fury is "in the making", while Fury's co-promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum are also confident of doing a deal.
Fury on Wednesday urged the interested parties to put their money where their mouth is.
He posted on Instagram and Twitter: "Hi guys, for all these suitors out there that want to make the fight, I’m gonna give you all seven days, until the first of September, to come up with the money. If not, thank you vey much, it's been a blast, I'm retired."
Fury added in another video: "And also guys, forgot to say, all of them offers submitted, must be to my lawyer Robert Davies, in writing, with proof of funds. So let the games begin. Boom!"
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman this week said Fury has until Friday to make it clear whether he intends to fight again.
Fury stated in June that he would want £500million to come out of retirement.
Oleksandr Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk has said a much-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury for all four of the world heavyweight titles is "in the making".
Usyk was a split-decision victor in his rematch against Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Jeddah, retaining the WBA, IBF and WBO belts that he took off the same opponent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year.
It means that the Ukrainian would now just need the WBC belt to make him only the second fighter in the four-belt era behind Claressa Shields to become undisputed in two different weight classes, having already held all four titles in the cruiserweight division.
That WBC belt belongs to Fury, who has not been in the ring since April when he defended his strap by stopping Dillian Whyte with a brutal uppercut in the sixth round at Wembley.
Fury has since claimed to be retired, but it appears that he could be tempted back into the ring to face Usyk and crown an undisputed champion in the heavyweight division, after telling his Instagram followers he would "annihilate" both Usyk and Joshua following the conclusion of their rematch.
And Usyk's promoter Krassyuk is confident the fight between the two undefeated titleholders will happen, telling Sky Sports on Tuesday: "It's in the making."
Speaking on Monday, meanwhile, Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren also indicated he is confident of the Briton getting in the ring with Usyk.
"[Fury] and Usyk would be a really good fight," Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's a fight that I think will be made because both teams would like to see that happen.
"Usyk said after the fight that it's the only fight he's interested in, and it's certainly the same case with Tyson. It's just a matter of where it will generate the most income because it's a unique fight, a historic fight."
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman would welcome a unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and believes such a fight could even take place before the end of the year.
Usyk produced a near-perfect display to record a split-decision victory over Anthony Joshua in Jeddah on Saturday, retaining the WBA, IBF and WBO belts he took from the Briton in London last year.
Having retained his undefeated professional record with a 20th victory in as many fights, Usyk declared his intention to fight Fury, saying: "I'm sure Tyson Fury isn't retired yet. I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."
Fury has repeatedly flip-flopped on his boxing future, calling out Derek Chisora earlier this month before ruling out a return to the ring just three days later.
In the aftermath of Usyk's win over Joshua, however, Fury told his Instagram followers he would "annihilate" both fighters before declaring that the "Gypsy King is here to stay forever".
Sulaiman is excited by the prospect of Fury, who is unbeaten in 33 professional bouts, returning to face the Ukrainian.
"Tyson Fury is a unique man, his personality, his thinking is unique so I respect that, I respect him," Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
"He has been so loyal to the WBC, he has been so representative and proud of the WBC. I just hope that he makes the right decision, whichever it is.
"If he decides to hang up the gloves and retire, what a great way to do it, with money, with health, with his beautiful family.
"But if he has that hunger of going into the ring, which I believe is the case, it would be great to see him represent the WBC in a fight with Usyk or other championship fights he could have in the near future."
Sulaiman also revealed Fury has until Friday to confirm whether he intends to vacate the WBC heavyweight title after his latest retirement claims, and stated his belief fans may not have to wait long to see the two champions in action.
"Tyson Fury is the WBC champion of the world, he's not holding the 'other belt', he's holding the WBC championship, which is the championship of Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, [Joe] Frazier, [Mike] Tyson, Lennox Lewis etc," Sulaiman said.
"I'm very proud of Tyson Fury, he's a tremendous fighter and I am sure he wishes to continue boxing and a fight to unify all the championships in the division would be tremendous."
Sulaiman said Fury was free to make his own choice, adding: "But my personal opinion is that boxing is going through a great stage, a great moment, it will be great to see Fury against Usyk in the ultimate unification of the division.
"We are in August, there is still time to finalise and close up the year, or early next year."
Sulaiman said a tussle between Usyk and Fury at this stage in their careers would be "a momentous, huge event".
A heavyweight unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk "will be made", says promoter Frank Warren, who also did not discount the possibility of an all-British bout between Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Usyk retained his WBA, WBO and IBF titles, and also claimed the Ring Magazine belt with a split-decision victory over Joshua on Saturday to take his record to 20 professional bouts undefeated.
WBC champion Fury appeared to reaffirm his retiremenet ahead of the fight, but subsequently suggested promoters and fans "get [their] cheque book out" after the Ukrainian's win.
Warren, who handles Fury's bouts, has suggested the pair could square off next - and finally deliver the division's first undsputed champion since 1999.
"He and Usyk would be a really good fight," Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's a fight that I think will be made because both teams would like to see that happen."
Britain's Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield to become the last undisputed heavyweight champion over two decades ago, but there has not been a bout with all four belts on the line since the WBO title was included in 2007.
"Usyk said after the fight that it's the only fight he's interested in, and it's certainly the same case with Tyson," Warren added.
"It's just a matter of where it will generate the most income because it's a unique fight, a historic fight.
"It's the first time for God knows how long that the four belts are on the line. Both fighters are undefeated. The whole world of boxing will be captivated by this fight."
Warren has also not ruled out seeing the long-awaited clash between Fury and Joshua, though the likelihood of such a fight following the latter's third defeat in his past five fights seems questionable.
Joshua first lost the WBA, WBO and IBF titles to Andy Ruiz Jr, though despite winning them back in the rematch, subsequently lost them to Usyk again last year.
The prospect of an all-British unification bout between Joshua and Fury was floated at multiple points during their reigns but ultimately never materialised, and Warren said Joshua will have to win some more fights before he can be considered a contender for Fury.
"If AJ manages to get a couple of wins under his belt - and I believe Tyson will beat Usyk - that may be a fight to be made," Warren added. "But AJ's got to re-establish himself before you can even think about fights like that."
Anthony Joshua admitted emotions got the better of him after he launched an impassioned rant in the aftermath of his split-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outclassed Joshua to clinch the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in London last year, and produced another polished performance to deal the 32-year-old a further defeat in Jeddah on Saturday.
While Joshua's improved display saw one judge surprisingly score the fight 115-113 in his favour, Usyk retained his titles after the other two adjudged him to be the victor of an absorbing bout.
Joshua responded to the defeat in bizarre fashion, throwing the Ukrainian's belts to the ground before returning to the ring to give a speech in which he discussed his background and hailed Usyk's abilities.
Joshua, who has lost three of his last five fights, subsequently declared: "When you're angry you do stupid things."
On Sunday, he moved to explain his actions.
"I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ," he wrote on Twitter.
"Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.
"I'll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain't great.
"I love this sport so so much and I'll be better from this point on. Respect."
Usyk declared a desire to face Tyson Fury after sealing impressive back-to-back wins over Johsua, saying: "I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."
Anthony Joshua insisted he is a "fighter for a life" with a "hunger that never dies" amid speculation over his future after another defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outclassed the Briton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year, claiming the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
The Ukrainian was challenged more in the rematch in Jeddah on Saturday, but produced a near-perfect display in the later rounds to defend his world heavyweight champion status with a split-decision victory.
One judge scored the fight 115-113 in Joshua's favour, while another had the same result for Usyk, with the third decisively awarding Usyk a 116-112 success.
An enraged Joshua picked up the belts after the fight before throwing them down, prior to returning to the ring to launch a bizarre yet impassioned rant on his background and Usyk's skills.
Joshua has now lost three of his past five fights, all of them for world titles, and could not hide his emotions at the post-fight press conference.
"It's really, really hard for me to say I'm proud of myself," he said. "I'm upset, really, deep down in my heart."
On his actions after the conclusion of the fight, Joshua added: "When you try and do things from your heart, not everyone is going to understand," Joshua explained.
"It was just from the heart. I knew I was mad at myself. Not at anyone, just myself. I was like 'I got to get out of here because I'm mad'.
"When you're angry you might do stupid things. Then I realised this is sport. I came back and did the right thing.
"I'm a fighter for life. That hunger never dies. Fighter for life."
Eddie Hearn, the promoter for Joshua, labelled his fighter an idol within world sport as he echoed the sentiments that the 32-year-old will not retire.
"This is someone who I want my kids to look up to," Hearn added. "If he's out in public, he gives everyone his time. He's one of the nicest guys. He's a competitor and winner.
"What you saw was raw emotion. A real person who wanted to win badly."
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