Tyson Fury ‘a victim’ and Anthony Joshua fight ‘will not happen in the immediate future’

Tyson Fury is ‘a victim’ and it’s not his fault mega heavyweight clashes are failing to come to fruition, says WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.

It’s been a hugely frustrating year for boxing fans with a number of tasty heavyweight clashes – including Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk and Fury vs Anthony Joshua – falling by the wayside.

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Some have even started to turn on the ‘Gypsy King’, suggesting he doesn’t intent to fight many of those he’s called out on social media.

But Sulaiman issued a staunch defence of the WBC heavyweight champion, insisting that Fury isn’t ducking anyone and suggesting his prospective opponents are the ones who are doing the ducking.

“He’s a victim, a victim of being the greatest fighter of today,” Sulaiman told talkSPORT’s YouTube channel. “It’s very unfortunate that money is ruling out every other fighter.

“They don’t want to fight him. They want to abuse a monetary status and it’s simply not fair. Tyson Fury has been willing to fight any of them.

“The WBC has been waiting. We allowed a lot of flexibility to try to do Fury vs Usyk which was looking very good for March. We had the flexibility to Fury vs Joshua, we ordered Deontay Wilder vs Andy Ruiz as a final elimination for the mandatory spot.

“It is just tragic to see with the division that so many great fights can be made are not happening.

“I’m a little bit disappointed, I feel very much for Tyson Fury. It’s not his fault, not anyone’s fault but just the greed, the selling out, the putting out of price by the contenders.”

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It was suggested Fury and Joshua could do battle in an all-British heavyweight clash last December following the latter’s second defeat to Usyk, however, negotiations collapsed.

And Sulaiman gave a pessimistic forecast on the prospect of Fury vs Joshua fight talk being reignited.

“As I explained we ordered Wilder against Ruiz to have a mandatory contender while Fury vs Joshua was happening. It’s not happened, it will not happen in the immediate future,” Sulaiman said.

“We need to set the WBC mandatory. It’s a position that the WBC invented but in no way should it be positioned to abuse and to disrupt the activity of a great champion like Tyson Fury.

“We’re not just going to appoint someone as mandatory just to appoint someone.”