‘I find myself defending you!’ – For how long will Fury-AJ stay friendly?

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally came face-to-face on Wednesday – but few could have predicted how their first press conference ahead of their blockbuster heavyweight clash would unfold.

Perhaps because of the uncertainty that has continued to surround the fight since it was announced, there was something of a surreal atmosphere in west London until the two biggest names in British boxing finally appeared on stage shortly after 6pm.

The whole thing suddenly felt very real, with the audible excitement of the relatively small number of fans who had been able to buy tickets to watch from the arena’s upper tier clearly appreciated by both fighters.

With the two-time world champions sat just a few feet apart, attention quickly turned to how they would interact after years of verbal sparring from a distance.

Joshua’s measured persona made his approach easier to predict, but the wildcard was which version of Fury would show up.

Minute of silence sets respectful tone

After a lengthy introduction from master of ceremonies Max Kellerman, the American’s questions about the fighters’ sparring session – which took place in 2010, when Joshua was still an amateur – produced some light-hearted banter.

However, Joshua soon took control of the proceedings to pay tribute to several people in his life who had passed away, including Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, who died in a car crash in Nigeria last December that Joshua survived.

Joshua requested a minute of silence which was impeccably observed by everyone in the arena, before applause at the end of it, which Fury warmly participated in.

Whether it had always been his intention or Joshua’s words had influenced him, Fury then offered some extremely kind words about his rival.

“This man is a two-time heavyweight world champion, Olympic gold medallist, and he has been a role model and a poster boy for British boxing for years,” Fury said.

“I mostly find myself defending my arch rival to fans I meet in the street. If you could achieve 10 per cent of what this man has achieved, you’d be doing well.”

While there is little doubt tensions will rise and less friendly exchanges will follow between now and fight night, both fighters made it clear that there is a great deal of underlying respect between them, with no obvious personal malice.

That was further underlined when Fury invited Joshua to join him for a pint of Guinness in the pub after the fight, regardless of the result.

Joshua’s humorous suspicion of the invitation, however, perhaps reflected his surprise at Fury’s approach to the event. Was the master of mind games at it again?

‘Too early for aggro’

Few are better qualified to analyse this event and everything around it than Britain’s former undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis, who was in attendance.

Lewis is adamant that once Fury and Joshua are deeper into their training camps, their exchanges will become less friendly.

“It’s too early, at this time [for aggro],” Lewis said. “You need to be in training camp and not see people for a couple of weeks.

“To be training hard and thinking about each other. Then when they see each other, it will be different, because everyone will be touchy at that point.”

Fury also showed just how quickly he can switch from friendly to confrontational when responding to a video released by Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, before the fight was finalised. The video positioned Joshua as a ‘landlord’ coming to collect his money.

Fury suggested that the fact his name appears first on all the promotional material for the event proves he is the A-side of the fight.

“In the build-up to this fight, Eddie [Hearn] and AJ were talking about landlords, being the boss, being the ‘guvnor’, the rent man and all that,” Fury said.

“When I look behind me, I only see one don and that’s Fury vs AJ. Now you’ve come to get the rent and I ain’t f****** paying because I’m No 1.

“I don’t make a big thing about all that but we’re going to walk out seeing Tyson Fury versus his opponent Anthony Joshua – an old dosser who works for me.”

With several details still to be decided – including which fighter will walk to the ring first and be left waiting for his opponent – the battle of egos is only likely to intensify.

The start of a popularity contest?

While the result is ultimately all that will matter, it will be fascinating to see the receptions these two legends receive in the build-up to December 11 and right through to the opening bell.

If the first press conference was anything to go by, Fury and Joshua are set to receive a huge reception wherever they go between now and fight night.

After the huge cheers that greeted both fighters as they arrived on stage, Fury’s fans broke into his “get up” catchphrase, with Joshua playfully joining in and repeating it back to them.

It was also notable that there was little of the hostility often directed at one fighter by the other’s supporters. Instead, the focus was firmly on backing their respective heroes.

Joshua remained on stage for at least 30 minutes after the press conference had finished, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans.

After protracted negotiations had left the British public tired of waiting, this ultimately felt like a day of celebration for everything the pair have achieved in setting up one of the biggest fights in the sport’s history.

The question now is: how long will the feel-good factor last?

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