Tyson Fury says he would fight David Benavidez if Anthony Joshua bout collapses

Tyson Fury has said he would face David Benavidez if his 11 December fight with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff is cancelled, amid a row over Dana White's role in the promotion, the Mirror reported.

Tyson Fury has said he is willing to fight David Benavidez if his meeting with Anthony Joshua is called off, the Mirror reported.

Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet in Cardiff on 11 December, but a planned face-off next week is set to be scrapped after a dispute over the involvement of UFC chief Dana White. Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, insist White cannot be part of the promotion under the terms of Joshua's contract. White was nonetheless included in the official announcement and appears determined to have a role.

On Friday night, Fury claimed on social media that Joshua was trying to pull out. A fight with Benavidez, the cruiserweight world champion, has been floated as an unlikely replacement.

Speaking to Furocity, Fury, who is training in Miami, said he had heard talk of replacements and described Benavidez as a far harder opponent than Joshua. He said: “I'll take it, because that's what I do.” He also backed Benavidez to beat his original opponent, saying: “Benavidez stops Joshua in about three rounds.” Fury pointed to his near 40 professional fights and more than a decade at the top of the sport, and questioned why a fight with Joshua had never materialised when he had faced champions for every title in boxing. He said: “Has anyone ever asked themselves why?”

Benavidez has also been linked with Fury as a replacement in other reports. At the Zuffa Boxing 11 press conference in London on Saturday night, Dana White said he did not know whether the Joshua fight would go ahead: Dana White doesn't know if Fury vs Joshua will happen. Every turn in the row is in our Dana White and Eddie Hearn timeline.

READ NEXTWhat happens if Fury vs Joshua is cancelled? Replacements, tickets and what comes nextRead the next story →

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