Fury Demands Joshua Showdown or Quits Boxing Entirely After Dominant Win

Tyson Fury sent a clear message to British boxing following his comfortable unanimous points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night: it is Joshua or nothing.

The Gypsy King dominated the Russian heavyweight over twelve one-sided rounds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, extending his latest comeback in impressive fashion. Yet barely an hour after the final bell, Fury's thoughts had already moved to the fight that has tantalised British boxing fans for a decade.

Standing in the ring, surrounded by the remnants of his latest win, Fury addressed the capacity crowd with characteristic directness. Ten years in the making and still, after all this time, there's uncertainty if this fight's gonna happen next. I've no idea. I hope so but you can't force someone to do something.

Joshua was ringside, watching Fury dismantle his prospective opponent while filming much of the action on his phone. When a microphone was eventually passed to him after the bout, technical problems meant his response was inaudible to the assembled media. When he finally got a working microphone, his message to Fury was nonetheless unmistakable.

I've been chasing you for the last 10 years. You tell me your terms and conditions and I'll have you in the ring when I'm ready. I'm the boss, you work for me. I'm the landlord. Contracts are being sent over and you'll probably see us in the ring next, more than likely.

Joshua also appeared to take a swipe at what he had witnessed, adding: Good question. That could be a warmup fight, based on what I saw tonight.

Fury, who had not yet heard Joshua's interview, responded with characteristic bluntness. He was brought here tonight, ringside, for a reason to get in that ring, make a face-off and get the fight signed. I signed months ago. He had his opportunity to accept and shake hands. But he didn't. He was very evasive and didn't give no definitive answers.

The stakes could not be higher for both men. Fury is 37, Joshua 36, and both have taken severe punishment in recent years. Fury's epic trilogy with Deontay Wilder and two narrow losses to Oleksandr Usyk have taken their toll, while Joshua has been rebuilding after being stopped by Daniel Dubois and, further back, his devastating loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.

Fury's manager Spencer Brown expressed optimism the fight would happen this year, but Fury himself remained characteristically sceptical.

If it ain't Anthony Joshua next I'm not interested in boxing. I'll eat a thousand Easter eggs, go up to 35 stone. I'm out. It's either him or I'm gone again. I don't care about rankings or belts. I only care now about AJ. That's the defining fight for British boxing.