Anthony Joshua has shut down rumors that suggest he's accepted a step-aside deal to let Tyson Fury fight Oleksander Usyk next.
Reports of Joshua's willingness to allow Fury and Usyk to go at it first recently surfaced over the internet. It was suggested that 'AJ' will be accepting a $15 million deal to step-aside.
However, Joshua has shut down these rumors, suggesting that he has signed no contract thus far. In a recently posted video by Michael Benson on Twitter, 'AJ' made it known that fans shouldn't believe anything that they hear from anyone except from him.
"You know what's bad about all these interviews I see? I see certain interviews that quote what I said, I think to myself I ain't done no interviews. Where did this person get this information from? I'm hearing people saying, 'AJ acceptes £15 million to step-aside.' I ain't signed no contract, I ain't seen no contract."
He continued:
"So as it stands, stop listening to the bullsh*t until it comes from me. I'm the man in control of my destiny, I'm the man that handles my business. I'm a smart individual and I make calculated decisions every step of the way. Don't listening to the bullsh*t from other sources. If I tell you something, then you know it's real."
Watch Anthony Joshua addressing the situation below:
Oleksandr Usyk disrupted the plans of Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury
Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury was a fight that many fans wanted to see. However, the possibility of this mega bout between 'AJ' and 'The Gypsy King' was disrupted by Usyk's win over Joshua back in September 2021.
Oleksandr Usyk outboxed Joshua across 12 rounds to walk away with a unanimous decision victory. Usyk's win appeared to set up his own clash with Tyson Fury.
However, the situation is filled with uncertainty as nothing seems to be decided as of now. Joshua has already activated the rematch clause which means he will get a chance to fight Usyk again. However, if the British boxer fails to win against the Ukrainian in their rematch, Joshua vs. Fury will likely completely fall off the cards.
In an attempt to make Fury vs. Joshua happen, it is possible that the 32 year-old will step aside to let 'The Gypsy King' take on Usyk first. Regardless of what happens, it will be interesting to see where Anthony Joshua's future leads him to.