Tyson Fury instantly shuts down Anthony Joshua's contract claim as details of phone call emerge

Tyson Fury has issued an explosive response to Anthony Joshua after he claimed his opponent would only sign a contract if his "name goes first".

On Wednesday (September 30), two of the greatest boxers in British history finally exchanged verbal blows during a press conference ahead of their mouth-watering showdown at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11.

For the most part, both fighters were respectful towards each other, and Fury even offered to go for a drink with Joshua after their dust-up in three months. However, the Gypsy King did get angry at one claim Joshua made during the press conference.

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Tyson Fury fires back at Anthony Joshua's contract claim

Fury and AJ have been on a collision course for the majority of their careers, but on several occasions - including over the weekend - there were fears that the dust-up wouldn't go ahead before Fury enrolled in drug testing with VADA on Monday.

Across the past three months, there have also been disputes over their mega-money contracts. At first, talk centred around the fight being hosted outside of the UK, though Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn refused to commit to a fight that wasn't on home soil.

A clause in Joshua's contract also detailed that UFC president Dana White would not be involved in the promotion of the fight and wasn't allowed to attend Wednesday's press conference.

During the hour-long back-and-forth, AJ even suggested that Fury wasn't willing to sign the contract unless his name was written first.

"I got a phone call the other night and they said 'do you mind if Fury's name goes first, because he's unwilling to sign unless he does," the 36-year-old said.

But the former two-time heavyweight champion instantly shut down those claims. "B******! B******! B******! Behind the scenes, you've been crying like little girls over A-sides and B-sides," he said.

"I want this, I want that! You have tried everything to get out of this fight, every move in the book. And now I've checkmated you!"

Of course, there were fears that Joshua was going to drop out of their long-awaited fight in Cardiff, though it appears those fears have been put to bed.

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Tyson Fury issues defiant message to Anthony Joshua

There were two sides of Fury on display during the press conference. At times, he paid the ultimate respect to his long-time rival and even praised him as the "poster boy for British boxing".

But knowing that fans came to see verbal blows exchanged, the 38-year-old soon sparked fireworks with claims he's going to "blast" his opponent out of the ring.

"I'm going to come out, and I'm going to blast him out of there," Fury said.

"It will be a gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the best man is going to win, because I'm not going to run away and I'm not going to box. I'm going to throw down!

"From what I'm seeing, I'm going to catch him and - when I do - it's going to be curtains."

In July, Fury secured a seventh-round TKO victory over Mariusz Wach in Thailand, while Joshua survived an early scare after being knocked to the canvas in round one by Kristian Prenga before knocking him out in round two.

Now, a decade after the demand for this fight reached an all-time high, there are only 10 weeks until the pair arguably decide who is the greatest British boxer of this generation.