Tyson Fury has offered Donald Trump the chance to lead his ringwalk for his fight with Anthony Joshua at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 11 December. The Gypsy King, however, has acknowledged that it is unlikely that his "old buddy" will be available due to being the President of the United States.
Fury's friendship with Trump
Fury, 38, only met Trump on his 80th birthday this summer at UFC Freedom 250 - a reference to the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence - which took place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC. That was Fury's first public appearance in the US for five-and-a-half years since his third fight against Deontay Wilder, having revealed that it was Trump who overturned his ban from entering the country.
Four months after their meeting, Fury now wants to involve Trump in his ringwalk for his blockbuster Battle of Britain with Joshua. He said: "I'll definitely make that offer to my old buddy, old pal, and we'll see if he's available. Probably unlikely because of the situation he's in at the moment, being the President of the United States."
Fan backlash on social media
The controversial plan has not gone down well with fans, with many taking to social media to pledge their support for AJ. "And all of a sudden, I'll be supporting Joshua...," one tweet read. A second X user wrote: "We're all AJ now surely," while a third said: "The way Joshua suddenly becomes everyone's favourite fighter overnight is the funniest outcome of this whole thing."
Another said: "In that case, I want Fury to lose." Fury was also warned about the reception he'd get, with one user saying: "That will guarantee him the biggest boo of his career!"
Visa issues and fight plans
After touching down Stateside this summer, Fury gave a "big shout out to Turki Alalshikh for making this happen" at the time. However, he now claims that Dana White got Trump to resolve his visa issues over alleged links to the suspected Irish crime boss and former boxing promoter Daniel Kinahan.
The fighter claims Trump said: "Tyson's a great guy, come on in," adding himself: "That's how G's go, innit? They make s*** happen." He wore a cap emblazoned with the words "Donald Trump for Prime Minister" to UFC Freedom 250 and has now said he wants his first fight of next year in New York City. It also appeared that this bout with Joshua was heading to Madison Square Garden at one stage of the negotiations over a venue.
Fury claims Joshua is a "warm-up" for his trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk and has "no intention" of retiring from boxing for the sixth time at the end of this year. Speaking about Joshua, Fury said: "This is a bum to me, and I can guarantee that on the night, when I knock him spark out, he won't know what time it is. And then I want the rabbit [Usyk] in New York City. This year will be the most active year for me since 2018. I've done 12 rounds with a 6ft 8in Arslanbek Makhmudov, and I've done seven rounds with another 6ft 7in behemoth in Mariusz Wach. Let's not pull any punches here. I'm firing on all cylinders at the moment. I feel fantastic. I'm 38 years young."
