DUA LIPA DUCKS FURY-AJ! POP STAR SNUBS BOXING'S BIGGEST BOUT

Well, strike me down with a feather! Just when you thought the Fury-Joshua saga couldn't get any more bonkers, it's taken a turn straight out of a bizarre dream. Forget promoters, sanctioning bodies, or even the fighters themselves – the latest hurdle to boxing's biggest British showdown comes from none other than pop sensation Dua Lipa. The Mirror reports that the 'Levitating' singer flat-out rejected a request to perform at the proposed 'Battle of Britain' between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. You couldn't make it up, could you?

This isn't about ring walks or national anthems, mind. This was a pitch for a full-blown concert to hype the fight, a spectacle to match the monumental clash. But Lipa apparently wasn't keen, leaving the promoters scratching their heads. It just goes to show, the sweet science sometimes finds itself tangled in the most unexpected corners of the entertainment world. We've seen legends like Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno command stadiums, but never has a musical act held such sway over the potential staging of a superfight. It's a proper head-scratcher, this. While the boxing world craves to see Fury and AJ finally trade leather, it seems even a global superstar's schedule can throw a spanner in the works. It's another twist in a tale that's had more turns than a championship round. Get it sorted, lads, before we're asking for the Spice Girls to mediate!