Tyson Fury camp criticises request from Anthony Joshua

Tyson Fury's trainer believes that there is favouritism at play after Anthony Joshua lodged an IBF exemption request.

Matchroom Boxing reportedly filed a request to the International Boxing Federation in the hope that Joshua will be able to delay the mandatory defence of his IBF title. Kubrat Pulev is the mandatory challenger for the belt that Joshua retained with his 11th round TKO victory over Wladimir Klitschko in Wembley last month. But 'AJ' wants to postpone the Pulev fight until 2018, according to a report from World Boxing News. A decision on whether the IBF will allow that delay, pending agreement from the Pulev camp, won't arrive until next week, but the fact that the request is even being entertained has irked Tyson Fury's trainer and uncle, Peter Fury. “I find this just shows the level of tide against Tyson as we had no such option allowed to us,” Fury told World Boxing News. “Instead, we got stripped of the IBF when Tyson won it. Let’s be honest, they couldn't wait to take his belt. “However, and as you can see, we have been embroiled in various politics since he won the titles from Wladimir Klitschko. “It makes you wonder whether we may have been much better off losing to Klitschko instead of winning in Germany!” Fury was famously stripped of the IBF title just ten days after strolling to victory over Klitschko in 2015 due to the fact that it appeared as though the Ukrainian was set to exercise his rematch clause against his polarising rival. That rematch never came to fruition due to a series of issues; namely injury, a suspension of Fury's licence and his highly publicised battle with depression and substance abuse. But Fury's camp are incensed that they were not afforded the luxury of having their request heard by the IBF because Joshua is effectively in the same situation that Fury found himself. All signs are pointing to 'AJ' clashing with Klitschko for a second time in a lucrative rematch, before then looking at the IBF mandatory defence.