‘Ten years in the making’: Fury and Joshua are mostly smiles as blockbuster fight finally looms

LONDON (AP) — Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua had mostly smiles and friendly banter to exchange as they finally took the stage together Wednesday to promote the heavyweight fight that boxing fans have waited a decade for.

The punches will come later, on Dec. 11 in Cardiff when the two former two-time world champions square off for the first time, and on UK soil to boot.

“Ten years in the making,” Joshua said at a press conference in London, the first time the two fighters squared off since the fight was announced last week. “We’re here now … it had to happen at some stage and there’s no better time than now.”

It is being billed as the biggest fight in British boxing history. The only question is whether it comes too late to settle the dispute over who is the better fighter.

Fury is 38 and has come out of retirement a handful of times already. Joshua turns 37 in two weeks and his only fights since losing his IBF world title clash with Daniel Dubois in 2024 were against YouTuber Jake Paul and Kristian Prenga.

“People say is it too late? (Expletive) too late,” Fury said. ”It’s the icing on the cake.”

Both men praised Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, for finally making the fight happen.

Alalshikh said he wanted to stage it at Wembley Stadium in London but settled for Cardiff because he couldn’t get permission to have the iconic venue stay open until 2 a.m.

“In the end, Wales delivered,” Alalshikh said. “And still it is UK.”

The prize money for the fight has not been announced, but British media reports have put the collective purse at close to $200 million.

“They’re getting extremely well paid.” said Frank Warren, the promoter in Fury’s camp.

Tickets go on sale Oct. 9.

And the fighters are saving their heavy punches for the big event. The press conference was mostly full of smiles and laughter as the two exchanged a few verbal barbs about a famous sparring session more than 10 years ago, when Joshua was still an amateur.

A few hundred fans had been granted tickets and a vast majority were loudly in Joshua’s camp.

But it was Fury who did most of the talking, although he mainly had good things to say about his opponent.

“He’s been a role model and a poster boy for British boxing for years. I find myself defending my archrival to fans I meet in the street,” Fury said. “That aside, obviously we’re here to fight, and fight we will.”

That’s all boxing fans — especially in Britain — have wanted to see for so long.

“I know in pubs, people have had proper fights about who’s going to win between me and Tyson,” Joshua said. “I know family members have fell out with each other about who’s going to win … I’m just happy to be here, fighting, and fulfilling my destiny before I depart this world.”

Fury also pointed out the vastly contrasting physiques and styles of the two fighters.

“I stand here today as the most awkwardly built world heavyweight champion in the history of sport,” Fury said. “I’m a bald, fat, bearded, ugly, slow and ponderous, all of the above.”

At which point Joshua cut in: “It’s true.”

Fury then continued: “And we’ve got this guy here. He’s carved in stone like an Olympian, from marble. But every time he gets cracked on the jaw he falls over.”

Fury had less nice things to say about Eddie Hearn, the promoter in Joshua’s camp, and briefly tried to stoke a bit of animosity by making fun of his ring opponent having referred to himself as “the landlord” in the buildup.

“Now it’s come time to collect the rent, and I’m not (expletive) paying,” Fury said. “Because I’m No. 1.”

The two fighters also bickered over why Fury’s name is first in the “Fury vs. Joshua” promotional material for the bout — which will be shown on Netflix — and whether the fight should be staged in Britain.

But they never seemed close to getting physical as they squared up on stage, and Fury is already preparing to take his opponent out for a beer after the bout.

“I don’t know if you’re a a drinking man, but I hope that after this fight we can have a pint of Guinness together. Win, lose or draw,” Fury said. “Have a fight first, then have a beer. How does that sound?”

Replied Joshua: “I don’t know if I can trust you.”

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports