Tyson Fury has claimed that “nobody cares” about Anthony Joshua anymore, and vowed to knock out his fellow British heavyweight if they meet in the ring.
A deal that would have seen Joshua give up his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk to allow the Ukrainian to fight Fury fell through after a late request for more money from “AJ”.
Fury will now fight Dillian Whyte as scheduled.
An encounter between the WBC heavyweight champion and Joshua has long been rumoured, though, and the pair were in talks over a title unification fight last year. Usyk’s win over Joshua saw the British boxer lose his belts, however.
It was the 32-year-old’s second defeat in four fights, having also been beaten by Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
Fury believes that the two losses have harmed Joshua’s reputation, and suggested that a bout between the pair would no longer be as appealing.
“I’m not sure what to think about Anthony Joshua anymore,” Fury told Dubai Eye 103.8.
“Quite frankly, nobody cares about him anymore. But I’ll knock him out just for bants.”
Fury also does not fear a meeting with Usyk, who impressed in felling Joshua after stepping up from the cruiserweight division.
Asked if he felt the Ukrainian would be a more dangerous opponent than Deontay Wilder, whom Fury has beaten twice, the 33-year-old replied emphatically: “Hell no. What’s he gonna do? Tap dance around the ring and run away?
“He didn’t do any damage at all to Anthony Joshua and definitely ain’t doing damage to me. I’ll obliterate him.”
The fight between Fury and Whyte is expected to take place on 23 April at a stadium in the UK, though neither the date nor venue have yet been officially confirmed.
