Anthony Joshua breaks silence as Tyson Fury fight hangs in the balance over heated venue row with six-word statement

ANTHONY JOSHUA is refusing to take his eye off the prize as his long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury hangs in the balance. The two-time heavyweight world champion posted a series of pictures on Instagram with the caption: “My only purpose is the mission.” Anthoyn Joshua is hard at work with the Fury fight meant to be under three months away AJ isnists he is fully focused on his ‘mission’ In the post, Joshua is clearly hard at work with the same Ukrainian team that masterminded Oleksandr Usyk’s two-weight undisputed success. They also cornered him in his last fight with Kristian Prenga, a second-round knockout that featured a first-round knockdown scare. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Money is not the issue between Fury and Joshua – it is all about venue. In fact, it is not even the pair of fighters that are in disagreement. Broadcasters Netflix and Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh want the domestic dust-up to take place in America at Madison Square Garden on November 20. But Joshua and his team are insisting it be staged in the UK as per the terms of the contract they inked, something promoter Eddie Hearn is refusing to budge on. Hearn insists the fight can’t fall through, but it could very well all go to pot if the terms in the addendum to AJ’s contract Matchroom recently sent aren’t agreed to. That could see more delays for a fight already well past its sell-by-date. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Will AJ vs Fury actually happen? SunSport boxing correspondent Wally Downes Jr answers the big questions around Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally facing each other... Could we finally see Fury vs AJ this year? Simply: Yes. Before the Saudi takeover of boxing – spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, would we have seen Fury vs Francis Ngannou, AJ vs Ngannou, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn working together and shaking hands for photos? Simply: No. The rules, rankings, sanctioning bodies and broadcast and promotional disputes are all irrelevant when this much money is thrown at prize fighting. How would it work? It feels like the winner of Fury vs Usyk on May 18 will fight AJ as soon after as possible. There is a rematch clause in the current deal for Britain’s WBC champ and Ukraine’s WBA, IBF and WBO king to meet and decide the first undisputed ruler for 25 years. But it seems certain the belts will fragment afterwards – with a string of mandatory challengers due their crack at the four separate belts – so the clamour for AJ vs the winner might be bigger than the demand for a rerun for fewer belts. Where would it happen? It feels like every major fight is now going to happen in Saudi Arabia. But don’t rule out a potential Fury vs Ngannou clash taking place at Wembley stadium. It seems like the Saudis are keen to eventually host shows in the UK and that fight, at the home of football, would be some debut. If Usyk topples the Gypsy King then the hype for him to face AJ for a third time will be far less intense. Why this time? It feels like we have twice come close to seeing the clash but there were simply too many hurdles and disputes in the way – similar to the way AJ vs Wilder still hasn’t happened. But with Alalshikh now making Hearn’s Matchroom and Warren’s Queensberry play nice and letting Sky Sports, TNT and DAZN share the shows, there is far less to fight over in the boardroom and loads on to battle for in the ring. And if Fury beats Usyk and rightfully demands a huge percentage of an overdue Joshua meeting, then the Saudi’s have the cash and the clout to hand him 99 per cent of the pie – to massage his ego and bank balance – and hand AJ as much extra dough as needed to keep everyone sweet. Who wins? If Fury sets up an AJ clash by beating Oleksandr Usyk – the mathematics and stats make it clear only a maniac would back Joshua to triumph in the all-English clash. Usyk dominated AJ over two one-sided fights, on foreign soil. The Watford man has enjoyed a spike in form and respect since linking up with new trainer Ben Davison but a 20st 6ft 9in Fury – who has just slayed the gap-toothed southpaw – would be almost invincible. But in any major football derby or cup final the formbook is often aimed out of the window. And perhaps a rejuvenated hungry AJ could be too much for an undisputed and fulfilled Fury to handle. Team Fury insists the Gypsy King WILL fight on November 20 with or WITHOUT AJ and with just under three months until the fight, that should be a concern for boxing fans. However, Joshua is training like he is in camp for a major fight and acting like all is going to plan, so there is that. Also, it is known that there is a rematch clause in the Joshua and Fury contract. Worst case scenario would see the powers that be get their way and have the first fight in America with the return bout coming home to the UK. But, for now, Team AJ and Matchroom are refusing that prospect. Comment now