Tyson Fury has dismissed the idea he and Anthony Joshua will ever settle their lengthy feud, branding his fellow Brit a "coward".
The world heavyweight champion looked to be on a collision course with Joshua last year, and briefly again a few weeks ago, but their paths have never crossed in the ring. They had signed a deal for an August 14 bout in Saudi Arabia last year, but Fury ultimately was ordered to face Deontay Wilder for a third time, and talks for a new meeting this year fell apart.
And Fury has since criticised Joshua in a number of interviews, most recently branding his rival a "coward" in an interview with the Queensberry Promotions YouTube channel. He has instead opted to face Derek Chisora on December 3 after missing out on another fight date with the two-time champion, and doesn't believe they will ever fight.
"No, there's no glamour in fighting a coward, none,” Fury said. "I don't fight cowards; I only fight real men. So, to say that's a glamour fight? No way. My glamour fight was fighting the 43-0 Deontay Wilder in America [he was 40-0 when they first fought, 42-0-1 the second time and 42-1-1 the third]. That was my glamour fight.
"The first time two heavyweight champions have fought each other while being undefeated since Ali fought Frazier the first time. That’s my glamour fight. This other bum fight over here with Joshua was a bit like a Sunday roast, people over here only respect it in England and Usyk will be a walk in the park, I’ll butcher him."
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Joshua and Fury's meeting last year would have been for the undisputed title, with the winner becoming the first to hold every heavyweight belt since 2000. No man has ever accomplished the feat in the four-belt era, with Lennox Lewis the last to do it around the turn of the millennium.
But when the bout fell by the wayside, Joshua's team were unable to avoid the WBO's mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk, who snatched his belts from him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that September. They managed to get him a contractually-obligated immediate rematch, which the Ukrainian also won.
Now, it appears Fury will face his fellow champion early next year with all of the titles on the line. The only speed bump seems to be the IBF's decision that Usyk must face mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic, but there is a chance that a deal could be reached to allow the undisputed clash to take place.
