Robert McCracken, the trainer who guided Anthony Joshua to amateur and professional world heavyweight glory, has defended the two British fighters' right to make their own decisions about a potential super-fight against Tyson Fury, insisting that outside noise should not influence their choice.
The veteran coach's comments come as negotiations between the camps continue to stall over fundamental terms. Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, told Sky Sports this week that an agreement had been reached and the promotion was simply awaiting Joshua's next move. Meanwhile, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that fresh discussions have begun to potentially stage the bout at Wembley Stadium.
McCracken, who worked with Joshua throughout his amateur career and into his professional reign, believes the constant public speculation surrounding the long-delayed clash should not weigh on either fighter's thinking.
I had a career as a fighter and you look back at what you maybe wished you should have done and what you shouldn't have done. I think it works out how it should work out most of the time, but it's up to the fighters if they want to fight each other and try and get the better of each other.
The former coach stressed that the fighters themselves should determine whether the contest happens, not the boxing public or media.
I don't think it's anybody else's business whether they should fight or not - I think they both proved themselves.
Despite acknowledging the relentless chatter surrounding the proposed heavyweight clash, McCracken recognised that the sustained attention has benefited the sport as a whole.
One thing I'd say is everyone's talking about it - it puts boxing on the map and it's great for boxing. While boxing's in the forefront and in the news, I think it's a really positive thing.
Fury's frustration and Joshua's character
Fury has made his impatience clear through social media, publicly attacking Joshua and labelling him a coward as the negotiations have stretched on. However, McCracken maintains that Joshua, the Olympic gold medallist and former unified world champion, would be eager to face Fury if the right terms materialise.
With Anthony Joshua, in my experiences, he was happy to fight anybody. It was just about how it was packaged and what was best for him - that's how the fighters look at things these days.
McCracken noted that while he has not been closely involved with Joshua in recent times, the signs suggest the fight is moving towards reality.
I've not been involved for a long time with Joshua, but it looks like it's going to happen. Hopefully it will and then obviously everyone can enjoy it.
Summer form and the road ahead
The two heavyweights took contrasting paths through their recent warm-up bouts. Fury delivered a dominant, one-sided stoppage of Mariusz Wach, while Joshua faced a much sterner examination against Kristian Prenga, hitting the canvas twice before securing a knockout victory.
McCracken believes Joshua's less convincing performance will serve as motivation rather than a setback. The criticism that followed the Prenga fight could fuel the former champion's desire to prove his doubters wrong.
Joshua is coming off the back of not a great performance, but obviously he got the knockout and that is all that really matters. He'll be looking to prove people wrong, any of the doubters.
When assessing the potential matchup, McCracken acknowledged that Fury currently holds the edge based on recent form and results.
Tyson [Fury] would be the favourite at the moment with his recent results and his form. It's quite fascinating if you actually think about it, where it's got to and the time it's taken to actually get the fight on.
The venue stalemate
Behind the scenes, the negotiations remain locked in a critical dispute over where the fight should take place. According to ESPN, the main obstacle is the venue, with Saudi organisers and Netflix reportedly pushing for a United States location while Joshua's contract stipulates the fight must occur in the UK. This fundamental disagreement has already cost the promotion a November date.
Frank Warren has indicated that the negotiations have a deadline and the decision could be resolved by the end of the following week, though a revised contract for a New York fight remained unsigned at the time of his statement. Madison Square Garden in New York had emerged as a likely venue during the later talks, though Joshua's camp has consistently maintained that any shift away from the UK would require renegotiation of the terms already agreed.
Both fighters had already signed contracts in an earlier stage of the deal, but no specific date or venue had been confirmed at that point, leaving the current impasse as a critical juncture for the entire project.
A Night of Solidarity
McCracken was speaking to Sky Sports ahead of 'A Night of Solidarity' on November 13, an Olympic-style boxing evening designed to celebrate the unifying power of sport and raise funds for firefighters' charities, youth sport organisations and community groups in North Kensington.
The event has been created to honour the response of the local community following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, when boxing and sports clubs united to help the community rebuild, establish safe spaces for young people, and support those affected by the disaster.
The London Fire Brigade Boxing Club has partnered with communities across the capital to harness the unifying potential of sport, providing structure and purpose to young people's lives by bringing them together with firefighters in boxing gyms as a demonstration of solidarity and support.
'A Night of Solidarity' will bring these efforts together, recognising the vital contributions of both the LFB Boxing Club and the clubs in areas most heavily impacted by the Grenfell Tower fire.
The evening will generate funds for local sports charities and the Firefighter's Charity, and will feature 12 bouts of boxing in which an LFB Select team will compete against a North Kensington team. The North Kensington squad will be composed of male, female and youth boxers from various clubs across the local area and throughout London.
