Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury branded 'pathetic' in boxing legend's rant

Carl Froch has brutally ripped into Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury amid talks of a potential heavyweight dust-up.

After Joshua's defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, and Fury's sequel loss to Oleksandr Usyk last December, the pair were tipped to go head-to-head. The heavyweight giants have traded barbs over the last few years, but a fight between them has never materialised.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that his star client is hoping to return to action within the next few months, before chasing a super-fight with Fury next summer. Just weeks after suffering his second defeat to Usyk, the 'Gypsy King' shocked the world by announcing his retirement.

That said, over the last few months, Fury has teased a possible return to the squared-circle by uploading several clips of him in training. With rumours circulating over a Joshua vs Fury match-up, Froch has offered his verdict and doubts whether the clash will actually go ahead.

He said: "I don't think Tyson Fury will come out retirement to be honest. He might do because he has said he's going to and if there's massive money on the stake, which there probably will be, but I can only see one winner in that fight and that's Tyson Fury. But Tyson's been out now, he goes heavy in between fights, so if he puts on too much weight and then he struggles to get it off and AJ's in the gym, then who knows. But am I bothered about that fight? Do I wanna see AJ against Fury?"

Froch continued: "There's no world titles on the line. They're both past their best. AJ was break dancing on his head in his last fight. He was done. Dubois ironed him out. And Fury got done twice by Usyk and he's moaning about how he's been robbed and he wants another bite of the cherry. It's pathetic."

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Despite Froch's remarks, Fury's promoter Frank Warren has backed the two-time world champion to fight next year. Speaking to , the legendary boxing promoter revealed: “I think he will come back, I do think he wants to come back, and will come back, but as I keep saying that will be his choice when he’s ready to do it. But like I say it won’t be this year, it will be next year. He’s larger than life, he’s a character, but more importantly, he can fight. Forget people’s views on decisions, they’re bloody good. Very, very entertaining, good quality fights. He never let you get bored in any of his fights.”

Warren's rival promoter, Hearn, recently held talks with Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh - who expressed his desire to stage an all-British clash between the two heavyweight legends. “He wants to make AJ against Fury, that’s no secret,” Hearn said of Alalshikh during an interview with The Ring. “He wants to make the biggest fights in the sport and that is the biggest fight in boxing right now. We’ve got to agree our end and then it’s up to Turki whether he can get Fury in the ring.

“The best thing about these situations now is that it’s not me speaking to Frank Warren or Spencer Brown or Tyson Fury trying to do a deal. We just have to do our deal and if Turki can make the fight then it’s on. If he can’t, it’s not on. We are focussing on that side. We have a plan for AJ to get him back in the ring as soon as possible and then lead up to a huge fight against Tyson Fury in 2026. We will do our deal with Turki and he will try and do his deal with Tyson Fury. Fingers crossed we can make it happen.”

When is the next boxing event?

Dave Allen is set to return to the ring on Saturday night when he takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov in Sheffield. Coverage is expected to get underway at around 6pm UK time (1pm ET / 10am PT / 12pm CT). In the main event, Makhmudov will make the walk to the ring first at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Allen set to follow immediately after.

The timings of all fights are subject to change and will depend on how long the undercard takes to complete. All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.