Anthony Joshua should hold out for a 50-50 per cent purse split in order to fight Tyson Fury, according to former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew.
The Gypsy king has claimed that he has offered Joshua a 60-40 split of the purse in an attempt to get his British counterpart to fight him this winter.
Joshua must decide today whether or not he will accept Fury’s offer and take up the fight at Cardiff‘s Principality Stadium in November as he looks to recover from back-to-back defeats to Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk.
Tony Bellew (pictured) has told Anthony Joshua to be hesitant about Tyson Fury’s proposal
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Joshua has lost his last to fights back-to-back against Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk
The fight, if it happens, is expected to break records in terms of pay-per-view buys in the opinion of Fury’s promoter Frank Warren.
However, Bellew says that Joshua should be hesitant to accept the current terms put forward by Fury as, like Irishman Conor McGregor in UFC, he is still ‘the biggest draw’ in boxing.
He told talkSPORT: ‘AJ is the biggest draw in the heavyweight division. It doesn’t matter if he’s lost twice, he’s still the biggest draw.
Tyson Fury (pictured) has offered Anthony Joshua a purse split of 60-40 in order to fight him
‘Yes, he’s coming off the back of two defeats, but why is the best fighter in the world [Fury] calling his name? Why does he want to face him? You’ve got to ask that question.
‘When you start putting out offers and saying, ‘I’ll give you 60-40…’ I’m not being funny guys but people like Conor McGregor, people like Anthony Joshua, they don’t bow to other people’s demands because the draw they bring is so big.
‘You can’t lowball a guy that generates what he generates. It’s madness.
Bellew says that Joshua has the same draw in boxing as Conor McGregor (pictured) has in UFC
‘This guy [Joshua] took boxing to Saudi Arabia. Just remember that. It’s never been there before.
‘He has a lot of power to his hand. There’s a reason why he’s being called out.
‘He’s coming off two defeats, yet Tyson Fury is calling his name. So if you’re going to be reasonable and say this is 50-50, I think it would be crazy not to take it.
Joshua (pictured) must decide today whether or not to take up Tyson Fury’s offer to fight
‘But at 60-40, if I was him, I’d be hesitant because you bring a lot to the table, probably more than the champion himself.
‘This guy [Fury] has given up the most respected belt of them all. He’s no longer the Ring heavyweight champion. The reason he gave that up is because he changes his mind every five minutes.
‘When Anthony Joshua announces a fight, he’s the biggest draw in the heavyweight division. That’s why the guys in Saudi want him.’
