Anthony Joshua moves to the beat of his own drum and has never wanted his career to be dictated by anyone.
For years, Tyson Fury and him have been intrinsically linked as Britain’s true sporting superstars.
Naturally, a fight between them has always made sense. But for the usual reasons, it’s never happened. That hasn’t stopped them from hurling verbal threats at one another. Fury has been relentless these last few weeks, chastising him at every turn and attempting to push Joshua’s buttons.
For the most part, Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) has ignored him, especially with a Dec. 19 clash vs. Jake Paul at Kaseya Center in Miami.
While neither is champion anymore, Joshua-Fury still would generate massive revenue. As reported by The Ring a few days ago, a matchup between them is being planned for a Riyadh Season card in 2026.
“I’m fighting Jake,” Joshua told Rick Reeno on the Mr. Verzace Podcast. “That’s my focus. Fury isn’t even on my radar. He can sit around doing Instagram videos but he’s not the one getting in the ring, Jake is. I’m looking for real fighters. Tyson’s not a real fighter in my eyes.”
Although he doesn’t consider Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) a threat anymore, many have the same thoughts on his upcoming opponent. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) spent most of his career on YouTube with boxing being the furthest thing from his mind. When he did make that crossover in 2020, he wasn’t taken seriously.
The 28-year-old has fought a mixture of former NBA players, MMA stars and past-their-prime former boxing champions. In his last two fights, Paul cruised to easy wins over a nearly 60-year-old Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Joshua, though, doesn’t view him as some gimmick. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist is hoping to bounce back from a fifth-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
If he goes out there and does what many are expecting, the next chapter in Joshua’s book could very well be a showdown with Fury, who announced his retirement after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
Joshua, 36, remembers watching those two battle it out for 24 rounds. In their first meeting, Fury, who was a massive favorite heading in, was nearly knocked out in the ninth round.
Joshua, who fought Usyk twice too, considers the Ukrainian a friend and even trains with his team in Valencia, Spain.
“I wish Usyk knocked him out,” Joshua said. “He needs to be humbled. I swear, if I ever got the opportunity, I’ll make sure I lay him flat on his back.”
