"All this sitting around and waiting? Tyson Fury could have fought in February or March. He's been held up by it. He does like to be active," says Andy Lee
Monday 3 May 2021 16:02, UK
Tyson Fury may find the delay to his fight with Anthony Joshua “to his detriment or his benefit”, Andy Lee has questioned.
Fury has been training in Las Vegas alongside trainer Sugarhill Steward with Lee, another crucial cog to his corner, overseeing Joseph Parker's win against Derek Chisora.
WBC champion Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO titleholder Joshua's teams are reviewing the paperwork to agree an undisputed heavyweight ruler, and promoter Eddie Hearn hopes to make a formal announcement this week.
"He is frustrated," Lee told Sky Sports about Fury. "The end-date was February, then it was March, now we're still going on.
"He's very frustrated that the biggest, most powerful people in boxing (promoters Bob Arum, Eddie Hearn and all the networks) but they can't seem to get the deal done for whatever reason."
Asked if he was worrying that the fight would fail to materialise, Lee said: "It's inevitable that it will happen.
"But all this sitting around and waiting? Tyson could have fought in February or March. He's been held up by it. He does like to be active.
"I don't know if it's to his detriment or his benefit that this wait has happened.
"He will be ready to unleash the fury when this fight is on!"
Fury hasn't fought since his destruction of Deontay Wilder in February 2020.
Hearn said on Saturday night: "We're all systems go. This fight is on, this fight is happening. As I told everyone last week, back and forwards with the drafts.
"I believe you'll get an announcement next week. I don't know what else to tell you.
"I saw Bob Arum's comments, 'The fight is dead'. I don't know where that came from.
"We know what we're doing and that's now been acknowledged by the other side, which is nice."
Fury met Andy Ruiz Jr, the only man to beat Joshua, while in Vegas and has been relentlessly preparing for the undisputed title fight, according to Lee.
"He hasn't stopped training, he hasn't skipped a beat," Lee said.
"He trains hard anyway. He pushes himself further and further every day.
"You think: 'Where is the ceiling?' But he keeps going and going and going.
"He took the lads up Mount Charleston - Badou Jack, Jesse Magdaleno, some other Mexicans. But they all quit on him. He did seven miles up this mountain, pushing so hard.
"He is physically in great shape."
