TYSON Fury has revealed that it would take an outrageous purse to draw him out of retirement to fight Anthony Joshua.
The World Boxing Council heavyweight champion announced his retirement after beating fellow Briton Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April but there have been calls to face Joshua.
Fury and British-Nigerian former world champion Joshua have been sparring with words for years and a bout between them would capture the boxing world’s attention.
Joshua, 32, will face Oleksandr Usyk in August in a bid to reclaim the World Boxing Association, Works Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation belts he lost to the Ukrainian last year.
Now Fury has suggested he would fight Joshua after the Usyk bout for the right price.
The WBC champion has left fans confused having announced his retirement, then saying he would return for a £200m bout with Joshua, then making a U-turn on that to suggest he would only be interested in exhibition events.
In a confusing series of apparent U-turns, Fury appeared on Good Morning Britain yesterday to state he was retired and would only enter the ring for “Hollywood style entertainment”.
Adding to the confusion, Fury later told TalkSport: “I’m 100 per cent retired. Nothing’s changed. Everyone’s making all these assumptions that I’m coming back, I’ve got these dates.
“I’m coming back for a few exhibition fights. Playtime, showtime, entertainment.
“I don’t know who the exhibition is against. I thought it was against an old timer or The Rock or someone so maybe it will generate £200m my end.
“Even £200m doesn’t even tempt me. I’d probably want half a billion to come out of retirement.
“If it’s half a billion I won’t say no (to Joshua).
“What he’s got to do is come out with half a billion and then the Gypsy King will solve all his problems. Because if AJ gets beat again by Usyk then there will be only one man to redeem this great nation of the United Kingdom and he goes by the name of Tyson Fury.
“I can solve all the problems, the embarrassment, all that stuff that’s going to happen – one call, but it’s going to cost £500m.”
