Anthony Joshua has angrily hit back at reports he is set to accept a staggering £15million pay-off to step aside and allow rival Tyson Fury to fight Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua was beaten by Usyk last September in their mega-fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but has an agreement for a rematch in his contact with the Ukrainian.
Despite that, organisers in the Middle East are desperate to stage a heavyweight unification bout between Fury and Usyk – as Sportsmail reported last week – and reports in the Telegraph had claimed that AJ was happy to step out of the way.
Anthony Joshua called claims he will accept £15m to step aside ‘bulls***’ in an Instagram clip
Joshua was adamant that his fans should not believe reports and instead listen to what he says
It was reported that Joshua is on the brink of accepting £15m to scrap his Usyk rematch clause
Joshua, though, has now angrily hit back and told his fans to stop listening to the ‘bulls***’ that is written about him, and to wait until he reveals the news himself.
Speaking on Instagram, he said: ‘You know what’s bad about all these interviews I see? I see certain interviews that quote what I’ve said, and I think to myself: “I ain’t done no interviews? Where did this person get this information from?”
‘I’m hearing people saying, “AJ accepts £15m to step aside”. I ain’t signed no contract, I ain’t seen no contract. So as it stands, stop listening to the bulls*** until it comes from me.
‘I’m the man in control of my destiny, I’m the man who handles my business. I’m a smart individual and I make calculated decisions every step of the way. Don’t listen to the bulls*** from other sources, if I tell you something then you know it’s from me.’
Usyk defeated Joshua last September in London to take his IBF, WBA and WBO belts
If AJ were to step aside, it would pave the way for a mega year of boxing with WBC champion Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO belt holder Usyk finally going head-to-head to unite the division.
Dillian Whyte was also in line for a showdown with Fury but is believed to be close to accepting a fee in the region of £5m to stand aside.
Sportsmail reported last week how Whyte could be in line to fight the last man standing at the end of 2022 – after Joshua’s bout with the winner of Fury vs Usyk.
Tyson Fury could fight Usyk in the Middle East, before the winner then takes on Joshua
Frank Warren, Fury’s UK promotor, hinted last week that a solution to sorting a heavyweight unification fight was in sight.
‘It’s a saga but if we can keep things between us, we can get something over the line one way or another,’ Warren said at the time.
‘Everybody in boxing wants to see the undisputed fight between Tyson and Usyk, I want to see it just as a fan. So that is the fight we are trying to make.’
Joshua’s career, meanwhile, has hit something of a stumbling block over the last few years, with defeats against Andy Ruiz and Usyk tainting his record.
