‘I’ll crack his skull again’: Fury labels Wilder a ‘reptile’ after claims American wanted $20mn to make way for Joshua megafight

Tyson Fury admits that his showdown with Anthony Joshua may have to wait amid claims that Deontay Wilder has asked for a fee as high as $20 million to step aside from his contractually agreed third fight with 'The Gypsy King'.

Fury and Joshua appeared all set to meet in Saudi Arabia in August in the first unification fight that boxing's heavyweight division has seen in two decades - but the biggest fight that the sport can currently offer is hanging by a thread Wednesday after an arbitration panel decided this week that American fighter Wilder is assured of a third fight with WBC champ due to language in his contract. 

READ MORE: Fury must fight Wilder unless American steps aside as Saudi superfight with Joshua is thrown into chaos

Both heavyweight sluggers signed a two-fight deal to face each other following their first meeting which was scored a draw after Fury's Lazarus-like rise from the canvas after Wilder connected with a plush power shot in the final round. 

The British fighter needed no such resurrection in the second fight, outclassing Wilder en route to a seventh-round stoppage. 

A third fight was expected last year but the Covid-19 pandemic, which ground most major global sport to a standstill, meant that a trilogy bout was delayed - with Fury's camp indicating that they intended to move on and focus instead on a unification bout with fellow Brit Joshua.

There had been speculation that Wilder may be offered a "step aside fee" to allow the Fury-Joshua contest to advance unimpeded, with Fury suggesting on social media that Wilder's team asked for $20 million to do so - claims that Wilder denies.

"What a joke Deontay Wilder has become," Fury noted on social media.

"Asked for $20 million to move over. Joker. I'm on the inside fighting, smashing stuff up and my next opponent is getting smashed to bits!"

However, Wilder's trainer, Malik Scott, reacted furiously to Fury's allegation, saying that Wilder is interested in blood, not money.

"Wilder declined and has no interest in step-aside money," he said. "Y'all dealing with a whole different type of motherf*cker over here. He want the blood, not that step-aside money. Retribution is upon us."

Fury hit back online once again, publishing a photograph of an iguana with the caption: "There's Deontay right there, the reptile."

But if Fury has made his feelings known about the potential crumbling of the super-fight, the other man scheduled to be in the ring with him adopted a more reserved reaction.

"He just said to me, ‘Listen, just go an do your work. You’re the man to take care of it, over to you. I’ll be in the gym, let me know'," said his promoter Eddie Hearn. 

"That was nice; it was nice to kind of give that responsibility. I had a very nice sleep, I spoke to AJ this morning and we go to work again. It is just another day, another day of ups and downs – this is called the boxing business.

"Like I said, it can give you the highest highs, it can kick you right in the nuts. But we are here, we are breathing, he is still the champion, we want to fight Tyson Fury for the undisputed world championship.

"But, really, if his hands are tied, we have to look elsewhere."

And if Joshua must first take a detour before the Fury fight, it is likely that this will come against his mandatory challenger, the undefeated former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.