- Tyson Fury says he will "definitely" make the offer to Donald Trump to lead his ring walk for Fury vs Joshua on December 11 in Cardiff, while admitting it is unlikely
- Fury also called Joshua a warm-up for a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk, predicted a knockout and said he has no plans to retire
- My view: the Trump talk is mind games, and Fury on points still looks the right pick
Fury Wants Trump In The Ring Walk
Right then. Tyson Fury has done what Tyson Fury does and turned fight week talk into a circus. Speaking about the December 11 fight with Anthony Joshua at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, Fury said he would definitely make the offer to his "old buddy" Donald Trump to lead him to the ring. Then, in the same breath, he admitted it is probably unlikely because of the situation Trump is in at the moment, being the President.
That is the whole story and it is brilliant. Fury is not asking, he is announcing that he is asking. The two reportedly met at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June, and Trump has been linked with helping to lift Fury's US travel ban, so the friendship line is not coming from nowhere. But make no mistake, nobody expects the President of the United States to turn up in Cardiff.
Why It Works For Fury Anyway
If you know, you know: with Fury, the build-up is half of the fight. At the launch press conference in London he was relaxed, funny and almost friendly, and I said at the time that a relaxed Fury is a dangerous Fury. This is the next chapter of the same plan. Keep everyone talking, keep Joshua answering questions about something that is not boxing, and keep the stadium and the tickets in the headlines.
Joshua As A Warm-Up
The sharper part of what Fury said is about the fight itself. He described Joshua as a warm-up for a third meeting with Oleksandr Usyk, predicted he will knock him spark out and said he has no plans to retire. With no rematch clause in the contract, that is a statement of where his head is at. Fury is not looking at Cardiff as the end of a story, he is looking at it as a stepping stone.
The Joshua Problem
That is a risk. Joshua has been hurt before, and this fight nearly did not happen at all. A fighter who thinks he has already won can end up on the floor looking at the lights, and Joshua is a proper puncher who can punish that sort of thinking.
The Prediction
Let's be clear, I am not buying a knockout. Fury is bigger and harder to hit, but Joshua is a sharp finisher with a heavy right hand and there will be a moment in the early rounds where it gets uncomfortable. I still have Fury grinding out a points win, then straight into the Usyk conversation, because Fury knows exactly how to make a fight ugly when it suits him. As for Trump leading the walk, I would not bet on it, but I would not bet against the headline either.