Joshua and Fury meet in London as build-up to Cardiff showdown; Joshua reveals contact with Peter Fury
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury faced each other at the first press conference for their scheduled fight in Cardiff in December, meeting on Wednesday evening in London where Joshua disclosed he has been speaking with Tyson’s uncle, Peter Fury. The encounter included exchange of barbs, a moment of solemn remembrance and confirmation that Ben Davison will be in Joshua’s corner.
The fight will take place in Cardiff in December and Peter Fury is the trainer who worked with Tyson when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko to win his first world heavyweight title in 2015; the uncle and nephew fell out soon afterwards, apparently over a financial dispute. Ben Davison has previously worked with Fury and played a role in the boxer’s return to the sport in 2018 after Fury had been out of the ring for three years following his defeat of Klitschko. After Joshua was dropped numerous times and then stopped by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, he moved away from Davison to work with Oleksandr Usyk’s team before deciding to have Davison back for this fight.
Joshua said directly at the London event: “I speak to Peter Fury.” He added: “He’s willing to help me as well. Yeah, I’ll speak to him [before he fights Tyson Fury].” Joshua told reporters he last spoke to Peter Fury about a month ago and described how contact developed: “I speak to Matty Harris [the British heavyweight whom Fury Sr trains] quite a lot. Matty Harris comes down for some sparring. That’s how it all comes about. Through Matty and Peter.” On the tactical side, Joshua said: “Not about Fury but about our training and how I can approach the fight. This is where I can improve. Everybody’s going to tell me how to win. But the most important person to listen to is myself at this point in my career.”
Promoters confirmed Ben Davison will train Joshua for the fight and Davison’s previous work with Fury drew an audible reaction from Tyson at the conference. Fury asked, “Is it confirmed? Is he gonna have him?” and then, turning to promoter Frank Warren, said: “That’s deflating, isn’t it, Frank? It is deflating.” He then framed the remark as a joke before saying: “Don’t forget I left Ben Davison to go with SugarHill [Steward] because he wasn’t good enough and this is the same Ben Davison who Anthony Joshua left because he wasn’t good enough.”
Fury also referenced Joshua’s defeat by Dubois when discussing Davison’s return to Joshua’s camp: “When he got knocked out by Dubois it was the same Ben Davison who everyone said: ‘Oh, he’s this, he’s that …’ Now they’re going back to him? “So that gives me encouragement. That gives me happiness. [Joshua] will probably go out there, get told to throw a jab and throw an uppercut and get himself chinned.”
Joshua outlined his rationale for reuniting with Davison and his team’s focus on details: “The reason why I went with Ben is because he and his team pinpoint things. [Against Dubois] there are things I could have done better so I won’t put all that blame on Ben. “What I’ve got to do is take control of my fight with Fury, but also add their touch. And with these two powerhouses coming together, I think it will be a match made in heaven. Ben and his team are very good at pinpointing certain things leading up to a fight that I can execute and exploit. I believe that they will get me that one step closer to landing the perfect punch to pin Fury to the ground.”
Before the face-off Joshua called for a minute’s silence to remember friends he had lost over the past 10 months, a pause that was “impeccably observed.” Fury spoke respectfully at that moment but later insisted: “I’m going to blast him out. I’m going to catch him and when I do it’s going to be curtains.” Joshua responded with a smile: “I don’t expect anything else from this man than him saying he’s going to render me unconscious.” Fury then joked: “This man is built like an Adonis, I’m built like a blancmange,” and added: “I hope after this fight we can have a pint of Guinness together.” Joshua replied: “I don’t know if I can trust you.” The traditional face-off concluded peacefully and calmly.
Both fighters are now confirmed to meet in the ring in Cardiff in December, with the London press conference serving as the opening public stage of the build-up to that bout.
