Anthony Joshua won’t ‘demonise’ Tyson Fury but admits he’s desperate to beat him and fulfil destiny of unifying division
ANTHONY JOSHUA said he will not ‘demonise’ Tyson Fury – the man who stands in his way of fulfilling his destiny of unifying the division.
The pair are still in talks for an undisputed title decider, where the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts will all be on the line for the first time in heavyweight history.
There has been plenty of public goading from each side, while the private negotiations have intensified behind closed doors.
Now AJ is ready to trade words for punches and put it all on the line against his long-time rival – but he insisted it is only business.
Joshua, 31, told JD: “I don’t know what it is for him, but all I want to do is beat him.
“He’s in my industry and we’re both front runners, but I want to be number one – this is to be undisputed world heavyweight champion.
“Enough of this Twitter back and forth, it’s about securing the fight and putting on a good show and using my energy to uplift people not bring them down.
“I don’t want to demonise his character and use my energy to bring someone down. I know I can beat him, I believe it and I will prove it.”
An official date and venue are yet to be confirmed.
But AJ hinted June – the month coronavirus guidelines in the UK are planned to be ditched – is when the Battle of Britain will commence.
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And Joshua passionately opened up on the career-defining fight, having been revved up by grime artist Potter Payper.
He said: “Potter got me hyped right now, so right now all I’m thinking about is fight fight.
“So in June I’m looking to defend my titles and I’m looking to claim one more as well.
“I want all the smoke, I’m looking to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
“I’ve been chasing it, I’m born for it and I’m definitely going to do it.”
SunSport understands a deal is set to be announced early this month and a non-disclosure agreement is keeping discussions top secret.
Saudi Arabia, which hosted AJ’s December 2019 rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr, is leading the race to hold the fight.
But America, Qatar, Dubai, Singapore and China have all expressed their interest in hosting.
With the Covid-19 fall-out unlikely to allow for 90,000 fans back into Wembley stadium for a while, the UK has to hope to host the rematch of the planned two-fight deal.
- JD’s Anthony Joshua hosted his #KingOfTheAirwaves radio show live on TikTok with a host of special guests including Munya Chawawa, Headie One, Ghetts, Potter Payper and Jeremy Lynch.