Anthony Joshua is convinced the fight’s biggest power players, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh and streaming giant Netflix, are actively rooting for him to lose to Tyson Fury in their December 11 showdown. Seriously, he just said it straight up. This isn’t some quiet doubt, this is AJ publicly calling out the very people financing and broadcasting his biggest fight, and it’s all because of where he wanted to throw down.
Cardiff Over NYC: A $70 Million Decision That Ignited a War of Words
So, the massive “Battle of Britain” fight is happening at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, right? That’s not what everyone originally wanted, apparently. New York’s Madison Square Garden looked like a done deal, but AJ and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, pushed hard to bring it to the UK. Alalshikh, who’s the money man behind this whole thing, admitted that venue switch is costing him a staggering $70 million in revenue. He says he’s happy to make that sacrifice for the British fans, but Hearn spilled the beans: Joshua took that stance knowing it meant an “eight-figure difference” in his own paycheck. You heard that right. AJ chose less money to fight on home soil. Meanwhile, Fury was reportedly way more content to fight stateside, which totally lined up with Alalshikh’s preference. Plus, Fury’s got his whole documentary series, ‘At Home With The Furys’, chilling on Netflix, making his relationship with the streaming giant pretty cozy. When you connect all those dots, AJ’s feeling like the deck is stacked against him.
“F*** Everyone”: AJ’s Mindset Going Into the Fury Fight
Asked point-blank if he thinks Fury is the preferred winner, AJ didn’t mince words: “Yes. I believe that, yeah.” But here’s the kicker, the man is ready for a fight beyond just the one in the ring. “If someone hits you, you stab them. If you f*** with me and you want to see me lose, I will f*** you up even more,” Joshua declared. He continued, “I am going to stomp all over you and raise a war that you are not ready for. That’s just how it is. That’s just my mentality. Now it’s just ‘f*** everyone’ and that’s just it.” Talk about a statement! This dude is going into the biggest fight of his life feeling like he’s got the world against him, and he’s embracing that fire. There was also some drama over Dana White, the UFC boss, and his involvement, which was a “key sticking point” and apparently caused some “unspecified issues” that put the fight in doubt over the weekend. Hearn said that “short-term battle” about White’s promotional involvement was won, and Joshua stated his opposition was purely out of “loyalty to Eddie.”
The long-awaited bout is locked in for December 11, and despite all the behind-the-scenes drama, Joshua is “100 percent confident” it’s going down. With AJ already feeling like everyone wants him to fail and ready to “raise a war,” you know this fight is gonna be absolutely bananas. You’re not gonna want to miss this one, seriously.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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