Tyson Fury remains unconvinced that Anthony Joshua will agree to a long-awaited blockbuster British showdown, questioning whether his rival has the “guts” to face him.
Fury, speaking after his seventh-round stoppage of Mariusz Wach in a non-televised bout in Thailand on Friday, referenced Joshua opting not to get in the ring with him after his victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
Joshua’s own tune-up fight ahead of a potential clash with Fury later this year comes in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as he takes on Kristian Prenga in what will be his first outing since he was a passenger in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends.
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Speaking before Fury vs Wach, Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn hit back at Fury’s claims he was worried about a potential bout against AJ falling through
Fury said of AJ: “I got through my test. Let’s see if [Joshua] gets through his test. The biggest test of it all is how big his balls are. I think he’s a big s***house.
“In Tottenham in front of 70,000 people, he never had the guts to get in the ring and face me. Let’s see if he ever does. I’m not convinced.
“I’ll regroup. Hopefully the next big fight is signed next week, and we head wherever we’re going to head.
“Is it gonna be in Vegas? Is it gonna be in New York? Is it gonna be in Ireland? Is it gonna be in London? Who knows, Belfast maybe? It might even be here in Pattaya, Thailand!”
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Joshua responded to Fury’s claim about not being interested in watching his fight, casting doubt over a potential bout between the two later this year.
Fury: I’m definitely not attending AJ fight in Jeddah
Fury – whose clash with Joshua could take place at Wembley at 2am in order to work for a global audience – maintains he will not head to Jeddah to face-off with AJ this weekend.
The 37-year-old said: “I’ve been away the last six or seven months. I’m definitely not going to Jeddah. I’m going home to my wife and kids who have been supporting me from a distance.
“I’ve been away in training camp for 10 weeks. I was away before that for four months, so I’m going to go home and have a rest.”
Fury’s record is now 36-2-1, with his 40th career bout now potentially against Joshua
Fury was also insistent that he needed to fight Polish veteran Wach three months on from a points win over Russia’s Makhmudov, adding: “I’ve had one fight in two years.
“This is my second fight in two years. Of course, I wanted to get the rounds in. I want to be active.
“It’s not just the boxing in the ring. It’s the fight week – the press conference, the weigh-in, the nerves, everything.”
Watch Edgar Berlanga vs Steven Butler and Richardson Hitchins vs Ricardo Salas, in New York, live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event from 10pm on Saturday. Stream boxing and more sport contract-free with NOW.
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