Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton believes the potential return of Tyson Fury to boxing must be aimed at securing a mega-fight with Anthony Joshua. Fury recently shared a video of himself training with coach SugarHill Steward, hinting at a possible comeback just months after announcing his retirement in January.
“It looks like it doesn’t it? It looks like he’s coming back. Why else would he be training with SugarHill?” Frampton told Sky Sports. “It has to be (for a Joshua) fight. What else would it be?” The 36-year-old ‘Gypsy King’ teased fans with a 12-second clip on social media revealing he is back in the gym.
Fury announced his retirement at the start of this year following his second successive loss to Oleksandr Usyk in December. However, given Fury’s history of short-lived retirements, many boxing insiders remained sceptical about his intentions. His promoter Frank Warren has reacted cautiously to the speculation, suggesting Fury might simply be having fun with his social media audience.
“I haven’t spoken to him, I’ve seen it and that’s Tyson having a bit of fun with everybody,” Warren said. “He may want to do that, if he does that’s going to be his choice. I am not going to in any way try and get him to do that.”
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, insists that the long-awaited Fury fight can still be made despite years of failed negotiations. “It all comes down to Tyson, the deal. We’re ready,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “But there’s no point calling it out because it’s going to take one man to let’s give the world the biggest fight in boxing. And we live in hope that he (Fury) decides to get it done.”
A potential Fury-Joshua showdown could generate upwards of £170m in revenue through broadcasting rights, ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandise. However, not all former champions believe Fury should pursue the Joshua fight. Former world champion George Groves suggested Fury should consider a different direction.
“I’d like to see Fury do MMA. I want to see him fight (Francis) Ngannou in the cage. Seriously,” Groves told Sky Sports. “I’m not interested in the boxing anymore. He’s done fantastic things within his boxing career but he can’t beat Usyk and I don’t think it suits him to be playing for runner-up.”
As the boxing world waits with bated breath for Fury’s next move, Frampton’s comments highlight the massive appeal of a potential Fury-Joshua fight. With both fighters having expressed interest in the bout, the stage is set for a potentially lucrative showdown.