Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua Press Conference: Business As Usual?

The biggest fight in British boxing history was officially announced on Wednesday in London, as Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally faced off to announce their WBA “super” heavyweight title fight on Friday, December 11, exclusively on Netflix.

Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) and Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) have been at each other’s throats for over 10 years, and ahead of the press conference, fans expected fireworks. Instead, it felt like two businessmen being complimentary, and the anticipated tension was replaced with laughs and more-than-usual talking from the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh.

Alalshikh mostly spoke about himself regarding his health and thanked those involved, including Dana White, who was not there. One comment that stood out was when Alalshikh said, “Put yourself in my shoes. There is a situation here to lose around 70 million.” He was referring to the fight being at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which was initially rumored to be the venue, instead of now in Cardiff, Wales, in England. This was a major point Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing refused to budge on, especially since he claimed their agreement mentioned the fight would be staged in England.

After that comment by Alalshikh, he cited reasons why it was being considered there, noting that it had more to do with sponsorships, fight times, and the fact that Wembley would not be available for the proposed main-event time to satisfy primetime in the States. He was met with boos from the crowd, which he clearly didn’t like but couldn’t control. Alalshikh then oddly pivoted to speaking about artist Dua Lipa and her not wanting to perform because he is Arab. In the end, the presser focused too much on Alalshikh instead of Fury and Joshua.

When they did speak, Fury and Joshua were asked to discuss old sparring from 15 years ago, which neither really took seriously. They mostly laughed and made jokes about it. The crowd’s screaming comments were more of a highlight than anything else.

Fury, always filled with quick verbal jabs, had this to say about the strategy on fight night. “I can tell you the strategy – I’m going to come out and gun him out of there. I’m not going to run away; I’m going to throw down.”

Joshua, being more chatty than usual, said, “There’s nothing else I expect from [Tyson Fury] than to say he’s going to render me unconscious. But this is what’s going to keep me running. This is what’s going to make me do the extra rounds in the gym, because I want to prove to myself that what he’s saying is not possible.”

For a press conference that lasted a little over an hour from start to finish, including pre- and post-conference commentary, it didn’t do much to add to the hype. Maybe they should’ve had Dana White there to stir the pot. The lasting impression I had of today’s presser was business as usual.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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