Anthony Joshua’s critics are wrong – he was right not to humour Tyson Fury

“DO YOU ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE???” Tyson Fury bellowed over the tope rope, the words tumbling down around Anthony Joshua at ringside. As many have noted, it felt very WWE. Joshua, for his part, wore a slight smirk, but he might as well have been biting his tongue.

In showing restraint and not explicitly accepting Fury’s “challenge”, Joshua disappointed the thousands of remaining fans in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the many watching on Netflix, but “AJ” was right not to humour Fury in this moment.

There was more to the situation than some realised, as we’ll get to shortly.

Firstly, Joshua’s refusal to publicly accept the fight does not mean he is not going to face his fellow Briton. Joshua’s point, in staying coy, was that a (likely-lengthy) negotiating stage will now ensue, and the heavyweight rivals have been here before.

Anthony Joshua, ringside for Tyson Fury’s latest win, was called out by the ‘Gypsy King’ after the fight (Getty)

Furthermore, one might argue that Fury has been a greater obstacle to this super-fight than AJ ever has. There have been his five retirements, of course, and his ultimatums, one of which was so urgent that it even frustrated his own team.

So, on Saturday night, it was easy for Fury – fired up from his win over Arslanbek Makhmudov – to hold court in Tottenham and make the callout, to try to instigate a face-off. And the moment Joshua refused to bite, he appeared the villain.

It didn’t help that his microphone wasn’t working at first, but even once his words were audible, he was coy.

“Tyson, you are a clout chaser,” he said. “I’ve never had a problem getting in the ring with you. I punched you when we were kids. After watching you tonight, I’d do it again. I’ll see you in that ring in due time.” Encouraging, then. But? “You won’t tell me what to do. When you’re ready, you tell me your conditions, and I’ll tell you when I’m ready. I’m the landlord, remember that; you work for me.”

Clear in Joshua’s words was that this fight is not yet signed, so there is an argument that Saturday’s event should not have had such a focus on a post-fight face-off, anyway.

The first clue was the refusal by Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, to enter the ring when called upon by Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh. Earlier in the night, Alalshikh had said he wanted to announce the “biggest fight in the history of England”, but when the moment came, Hearn wore a similar smirk to Joshua’s and stayed composed, refusing to budge. The fact that AJ followed suit suggested they were on the same page.

There was more awkwardness at the post-fight press conference, however, when Fury claimed he had signed “months ago” before getting into further details – or a lack thereof.

Joshua with his promoter, Eddie Hearn, on Saturday (PA)

How many fights are in the deal he signed? “It doesn’t really matter how many fights it is, let’s just get one done,” he said, for example.

What about the purse split? “I don’t know, I’m not interested in all that bulls***. If he gets £600m, good luck to him, and if I get 50p, good luck to me.” The financial element has been a sticking point for Fury before, mind, even with Oleksandr Usyk.

Would the fight(s) take place at Wembley? Fury’s promoter Frank Warren and manager Spencer Brown said no conversations had taken place over a venue, as negotiations weren’t that far along.

Furthermore, Fury went from saying he only wants to fight Joshua to insisting: “I want three fights this year, no matter who it is.”

But one of the most fascinating strands to the evening’s narrative came in the form of a tweet from Netflix, which said: “It’s happening. Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua. This autumn from the UK. LIVE only on Netflix.”

This was put to Fury, Warren and Brown, with the latter two appearing completely blindsided and suggesting that “maybe” the fight was in fact signed, then, from Joshua’s side. Still, in a separate interview, Hearn said it was not.

Fury (left) was a comfortable but not especially impressive winner over Arslanbek Makhmudov (Reuters)

It was a mess, a confusing, deflating end to what should have been a triumphant Fury comeback (though his performance itself was similarly deflating, if one is to take a stern view).

In any case, the other element that shouldn’t be overlooked is Joshua’s ongoing grief at the passing of two of his close friends.

It was just four months ago that AJ was injured in a car crash in Nigeria, which killed his teammates Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. Yes, Joshua was quick to return to the gym, suggesting he was physically ready to train. Mentally? He was either ready or in need of a distraction or purpose.

Hearn recently said a summer return is on the cards for Joshua, which has been perceived as a warm-up for Fury. This writer said on Saturday that Joshua vs Fury should be made immediately, if it can be, but that was not meant as a dismissal of AJ’s grief; it is just that, if Joshua is genuinely willing to box soon and a deal can be struck, the Fury fight must be next.

Based on Fury’s performance on Saturday, Joshua likely does not need a warm-up to be competitive against the “Gypsy King”. And when it comes to this mooted battle of former world champions, all you need is to believe that it will be competitive.