Antony Joshua should be ‘hesitant’ of accepting 40% purse to fight Tyson Fury as he ‘brings more to table’, says Bellew
TONY BELLEW has urged Anthony Joshua to be “hesitant” of accepting Tyson Fury’s 40 per cent purse split offer to fight him.
The WBC heavyweight champion has claimed he has offered his British compatriot a 60-40 split in his bid to secure the dream dust-up.
Fury, 34, has thrown the former WBA, IBF and WBO titleholder a bone with the offer of a winter clash following AJ’s consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
But the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist must decide by Wednesday whether he will accept the Gypsy King’s terms.
The offer is for the pair to pit their wits against each other at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in November.
Promoter Frank Warren has declared that should the pair agree to a Battle of Britain bout, it could smash previous records by hitting two million pay-per-view buys.
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But former WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew believes that Joshua shouldn’t accept the “lowball” offer from Fury, as he stated he is still the biggest name in the heavyweight division.
Speaking on talkSPORT, said: “AJ is the biggest draw in the heavyweight division. It doesn’t matter if he’s lost twice, he’s still the biggest draw.
“Yes, he’s coming off the back of two defeats, but why is the best fighter in the world [Fury] calling his name? Why does he want to face him? You’ve got to ask that question.
“When you start putting out offers and saying, ‘I’ll give you 60-40,’ people like Anthony Joshua, they don’t bow to other people’s demands because the draw they bring is so big.
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“You can’t lowball a guy that generates what he generates. It’s madness.
This guy [Joshua] took boxing to Saudi Arabia. Just remember that. It’s never been there before.
“He has a lot of power to his hand. There’s a reason why he’s being called out.
“He’s coming off two defeats, yet Tyson Fury is calling his name. So if you’re going to be reasonable and say this is 50-50, I think it would be crazy not to take it.
“But at 60-40, if I was him, I’d be hesitant because you bring a lot to the table, probably more than the champion himself.
“This guy [Fury] has given up the most respected belt of them all. He’s no longer the Ring heavyweight champion. The reason he gave that up is because he changes his mind every five minutes.
“When Anthony Joshua announces a fight, he’s the biggest draw in the heavyweight division. That’s why the guys in Saudi want him.”