\n<\/p>\n
Tyson Fury spoke with BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing and certainly left the door open during a surprise appearance at the promotion\u2019s Miami event. The former heavyweight champion told the broadcast team that he is a \u201cprize fighter\u201d and made his position plain: \u201cShow me the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heavyweight great Fury attended BKB 58: Miami; the card took place at the James L. Knight Center and was topped by BKB heavyweight champion Gustavo Trujillo against British replacement Mick Terrill.<\/p>\n
Fury climbed into BKB\u2019s triangular fighting space, known as the Trigon, spoke with CEO David Tetreault and watched the action from close range. He also joined Trujillo after the main event, placing the BKB heavyweight title belt over the Cuban\u2019s shoulder after Trujillo stopped Terrill with a second-round body-shot knockout.<\/p>\n
Fury comes from a travelling family with a long connection to bare-knuckle fighting, while Trujillo has built a separate combat-sports profile as BKB\u2019s unbeaten heavyweight titleholder. Trujillo\u2019s victory over Terrill extended his knockout run and kept the BKB belt in Miami.<\/p>\n
Fury sounded entertained by what he saw. \u201cIt\u2019s very different to what I\u2019m usually watching,\u201d he said of BKB\u2019s product. \u201cSo, it\u2019s exciting stuff.\u201d He added: \u201cYeah, very good. Very good action. A lot of knockouts.\u201d When asked what his late relative, bare-knuckle icon Bartley Gorman, would have made of the show, Fury replied: \u201cYeah, he\u2019d love it. Absolutely love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked directly whether he would remove the gloves and compete for BKB, Fury said: \u201cI\u2019m a prize fighter. Show me the money.\u201d He then raised the stakes with: \u201cGet the chequebook out, I\u2019ll be here.\u201d <\/p>\n
He also joked about his history of retirement announcements, telling the broadcast team: \u201cI\u2019ve retired more times than anyone in history.\u201d The line suits a fighter whose next move tends to generate a headline before it reaches a contract.<\/p>\n
A Fury-Trujillo matchup would be huge attention-wise, though it would represent a major change for Fury. Traditional boxing uses padded gloves, longer rounds and a square ring; BKB\u2019s bare-knuckle format is built around a different rule set and the compact Trigon. Fury\u2019s background gives the storyline credibility, but it does not mean he is preparing for a bare-knuckle debut.<\/p>\n
Fury\u2019s BKB appearance came while he was in Miami training amid uncertainty around a proposed November boxing fight with Anthony Joshua. He initially described himself as preparing for \u201cthe biggest fight in boxing\u201d and said, \u201cWhen the fight arrives, it arrives.\u201d<\/p>\n
At that point, Fury pointed to the money discussion: \u201cEddie Hearn and AJ are looking for a few more quid, as always. I don\u2019t think they are running scared. We\u2019re prizefighters. But yeah, when the deal is right, I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, the tone has changed. Fury has claimed the Joshua fight is off and said he is pursuing another opponent, calling out Oleksandr Usyk for a third fight in November. Joshua and Fury had signed separate agreements connected to Saudi-backed organiser Sela, but the proposed venue became the major sticking point: Joshua\u2019s side preferred the UK, while Madison Square Garden in New York was reportedly favoured by the organisers and Netflix.<\/p>\n
Eddie Hearn has previously maintained that the Joshua bout is contractually in place and that neither fighter can simply walk away, so the public messaging is still far from a final legal resolution.<\/p>\n
With the Joshua bout in doubt and Fury publicly seeking another opponent, a BKB appearance is easier to imagine than it was before Miami. Still, a heavyweight boxing match, an Usyk trilogy or another high-paying bout remains more likely until Fury and BKB announce a contract, an opponent and a date.<\/p>\n