"He's a genius Tyson Fury" - Eddie Hearn on Fury's contradictory retirement comments ahead of potential matchup against Anthony Joshua
Since Tyson Fury struck Dillian Whyte with a devastating uppercut on April 23, 'The Gypsy King' has stood almost firm on his retirement claims. Fury has insisted that after defeating Whyte, it would cost $500 million to draw him out of retirement.
Despite this, Fury has now revealed that he will face Anthony Joshua, but only if the event is free to the fans. This includes free tickets into Wembley Stadium and free to watch on TV.
After the heavyweight champion made these contradictory comments, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn expressed his thoughts:
"He's a genius Tyson Fury, because no-one ever really questions what he says. He's just said you've gotta pay him $500million to come out of retirement. And in the next sentence he says he'll fight Anthony Joshua for free on non-PPV [pay-per-view]."
Anthony Joshua is set to enter his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on August 20, with the aim of retrieving the WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF World Titles.
Fury is yet to vacate his WBC Heavyweight Title, which could suggest that the Brit isn't fully committed to retiring. It's possible that the 33-year-old is awaiting the result of Usyk/Joshua to potentially face the winner for the Undisputed Championship.
View talkSPORT's Michael Benson's tweet on the subject here:
Eddie Hearn: "He's a genius Tyson Fury, because no-one ever really questions what he says. He's just said you've gotta pay him $500million to come out of retirement. And in the next sentence he says he'll fight Anthony Joshua for free on non-PPV." [@DAZNBoxing Show]
Will Tyson Fury still cost $500 million to face Oleksandr Usyk if the Ukrainian beats Anthony Joshua?
The original comments from Fury demanding half a billion dollars to re-enter the ring came after being asked about facing Usyk. However, after his most recent statements over a potential fight with Joshua, everything seems up in the air.
Fury vs. Joshua is the fight the majority of fans want to see, but there's no guarantee that 'AJ' will get revenge over the skilled Ukrainian in late August. On a rare occasion, Joshua will be the underdog in Saudi Arabia after being dominated in the first encounter.
The biggest motivator for Fury to face Usyk is that the winner will be crowned the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. However, if the 33-year-old continues to demand $500 million, it's very unlikely that the fight will take place.