The decade-long struggle to get AJ & Fury together
"He didn't want the smoke," Fury said. "He came ringside to make the fight. If it was me, I'd have jumped in the ring.
Ten years in the making and still there's uncertainty if it's going to happen next. " For more than a decade, Fury-Joshua has never got past the hype. In another industry, a project left in development this long might be considered obsolete.
Now, Team Fury say they have signed the contract, and Joshua hasn't. The blame game will continue. There is a danger this will be yet another missed opportunity.
The perfect moment belonged to 2019, or perhaps 2021. Now the question is simply - will the sport allow this entire generation to close without ever seeing them share a ring? Tyson Fury extended his record to 35 wins, two defeats and one draw Fury and Joshua remain hugely important to the sport.
If Joshua is the beating heart of boxing in the UK, Fury is the blood that surges through the veins. He said he has a three-fight deal for this year but insisted there is only one fight he wants. "If it isn't AJ next, I'm not interested in boxing again.