Just days after Anthony Joshua claimed he "punched" Tyson Fury up when they were kids during a heated verbal exchange at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday (April 12), an audio transcription has emerged of the ‘Gypsy King’ describing how he took a "beating" from AJ in sparring.
On Saturday, Fury marked his return to boxing with a comfortable unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in north London, while his long-time foe Joshua sat just yards away at ringside.
During the evening, AJ appeared to begin some pre-fight mind games by filming various parts of Fury’s bout against Makhmudov, before the Englishmen became embroiled in a heated exchange shortly after the judges’ verdict was read out.
Fury encouraged Joshua to step into the ring, but the Watford-born heavyweight refused several times, instead choosing to remain seated and stare at his fellow Brit.
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“I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept?” Fury screamed.
“I punched you up when we were kids, and I’ll punch you up again,” Joshua replied.
“You aren’t going to tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you for 10 years.
“I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me.”
While it was initially unclear what Joshua was referring to when he mentioned their past as kids, an audio transcript has since emerged of Fury seemingly admitting he took a “beating” at the hands of the Olympian back in 2010 – two years before AJ won gold at the London Olympic Games.
An audio clip of an interview with veteran boxing journalist Steve Bunce, relayed by BoxingScene, has emerged, with a 21-year-old Fury saying: “I sparred with the ABA champion [Anthony Joshua]. He’s red hot, him. He’s very good.
“To be honest, I thought to myself I’ve only got to take it easy because he’s only an amateur and he won’t spar again if I go mad. He rushed out at me, he threw a one-two, I’m trying to slip and slide and take my time, then, bash, he hit me with a right uppercut right on the point of my chin. If I’d have had a bit of a weak chin… I’d have been knocked out for a month.
“He’s very good, though, and he’s very young – 20. Watch out for that name: Anthony Joshua. He is one [top] prospect for the future.”
At the time, Fury had won all 11 of his professional fights, while Joshua was still an amateur with hopes of landing a spot on Team GB, something he would later go on to achieve.
“I class myself as one of the top prospects, one of the best heavyweights in the world, and he came at me for three rounds and gave me a beating,” Fury added. “I’m not going to deny it; he gave me what for, hell for leather for three rounds. I thought, oh my God, an amateur is killing me.
“I thought I could slow him down with a few good body shots, and I’m a handful myself. So, for him to put up a performance like that against me, I think he’s one for the future. But sparring isn’t fighting, and fighting with a headguard on is not professional boxing.
“I tell it like it is. If the kid was no good, I’d say it. But he is good, and I’ll tell anyone that he beat me up in sparring.”
Now, 16 years on from the interview, a professional contest between the pair appears to be closer than ever – although Joshua insisted that no contract had been signed as of Saturday night.
Last week, reports suggested the fight would take place at Dublin’s Croke Park. However, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has hinted that he would prefer it to take place at Wembley Stadium.
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury
Luke Davies