Ahead of a potential unification battle between WBC champion Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts, Fury believes Joshua does not posses the confidence to face him.
Fury, who claim he could knock out his heavyweight rival inside two rounds, branded Joshua‘s knockout threat as just ‘a lie’.
“This fight has been brewing for a long time. They have been avoiding me for a long time and now it’s finally got to happen. They either run away from the fight and announce it publicly, or take the fight. Either way it’s a lose-lose situation for him.
“It’s a nice quote. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s sticks and stones. People say a lot of stuff and they don’t back it up, so we’ll see. I’ve never seen him take anybody’s head off anybody’s shoulders in all of his 22 fights. Probably a lie. Another lie.
“We’ll see if he’s got the guts to try and do it when I’m standing in the ring in front of him. I don’t believe he has,” Fury told Fox Miami.
“I don’t think he’s as good as people crack him up to be, or he doesn’t believe he is, in his own self. He’s got a confidence issue. He’s coming off two shaky performances. Boxing is all about who is in form and who isn’t. In his last two fights he’s not in form, on mine I am. Momentum is with me and I just believe I take him out early, very early. Maybe even one round, two rounds.”
Fury has questioned why Joshua was reluctant to call his name in the aftermath of the Pulev victory, a criticism which has since been clarified by the unified champion.
Joshua told Sky sports. “I basically said, If Tyson Fury is the man with the belts, Tyson Fury is the man I want. That basically says, I’ll fight anyone who has that belt, there’s no problem with the person’. I just want to go for the undisputed championship. That’s what I was trying to say that night.
“He took it how he wanted to take it. I’ve never turned away from a fight, I’ve never announced a fight and not showed up. I’ve fought six to seven champions, in my short career. Tyson Fury is another one of them.
“There’s no reason as to why I see him any different to any other. If Tyson fury is down, I’m ready, I’m keen. I’ve got four of the major belts, he’s got one. I’ll take that one from him.”
