Carl Froch has warned Anthony Joshua that a potential fight with Tyson Fury at Madison Square Garden could bring back 'demons' and prove to be a 'disaster waiting to happen.'
The two boxing icons have agreed to meet in the ring later this year, but an official date or venue has not yet been announced. Joshua has previously insisted he wants the all-British showdown to take place at Wembley Stadium.
However, Netflix and the Saudi Arabian moneymen behind the fight want to stage it in America. Reports have suggested that the bout will take place at MSG on November 20, and Joshua would be willing to oblige as long as he is compensated financially.
Froch's Warning Over MSG Demons
Former world champion Carl Froch has warned the two-time heavyweight champion to be careful what he wishes for. The venue has not been kind to the British brawler in the past.
In 2019, the Watford native made his US debut in New York against Andy Ruiz Jr in what was supposed to be a quick night at the office. But the Mexican-American would go on to score a huge upset after stopping Joshua in the seventh round.
If Fury and Joshua trade leather in the Big Apple, Froch believes it will come back to haunt 'AJ.' Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, he admitted: "[Madison Square Garden as a venue for the AJ vs Fury fight] might bring back some demons. It might have a bit of a negative effect on him, thinking, 'Last time I was here, I was in trouble with Andy Ruiz.'
"But I think once that first bell goes, it doesn't matter where you are. You're in that ring, the lights are on you, and it feels like you've been closed into a small room. There is you, your opponent and the referee. Once you're in that mindset where you're just doing it now for the money, you don't want to get knocked out, you don't want to get hurt, you don't want to look stupid, you just want to get in, get paid and go, you're going to struggle.
"I think Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been in that mindset now for a couple of fights, a couple of years. So AJ is going to struggle every single time he steps in the ring, regardless of where it is. He is literally hanging on the edge of the cliff with the tips of his fingernails, waiting for a disaster to happen. They shouldn't be fighting. That's my opinion."
Time Limit on Fight Announcement
Fury could end up moving on from the fight if an agreement has not been made by the end of next week. Queensberry supremo Frank Warren has revealed that there is a time limit for announcing the fight, but he does hope to have it wrapped up soon.
"Nothing's been signed off as yet," Warren told reporters, including Mirror Fighting, during a media roundtable on Wednesday afternoon. "Everybody's talking and talking rather than getting on with the business and getting it done. I think it will happen and if it doesn't, and I think there's a time limit on it, by the way, it will be one of those fights that slipped by.
"If it happens, I think it will be in November and, in all probability, in the States. Tyson went over the weekend to Miami, which is where he's training. So one way or another, he's going to fight in November. Hopefully, it's against AJ."
When pressed on the time limit, Warren revealed: "I should think they won't let it go past the end of next week."
