Search icon

Sport

14th Dec 2017

Tyson Fury: I received a nice Christmas card from Anthony Joshua

'AJ' won't be getting one in return

Darragh Murphy

Anthony Joshua is not on Tyson Fury’s Christmas card list!

Joshua will be standing there, waiting, at the end of Fury’s comeback trail and promoter Eddie Hearn has referred to the inevitable meeting of the undefeated heavyweights as the “biggest fight in British boxing history.”

Fury’s relentless trash talk recently resulted in an uncharacteristic insult from ‘AJ’, who tweeted the below in response to the several training videos appearing on Fury’s social media.

Fury has an uncanny knack for getting under his rivals’ skin and he continues to ruffle the feathers of the usually respectful and calm Joshua by repeatedly referring to him as a “weightlifter”, mocking Hearn on social media and even issuing an open offer of a wager on the outcome of Joshua vs. Parker.

Fury received a welcome Christmas present this week when he discovered that his UK Anti-Doping ban had been backdated two years, clearing the way for him to return to the ring, but when asked if he felt that Joshua was at the top of the tree in terms of heavyweight fighters right now, ‘2 Fast’ had a typically brilliant response.

“Not really, I am top of the tree. I am like the angel on top of the Christmas tree,” Fury told ESPN.

“I will go on my time, my area, and my say so and everything I want I will get in that fight.”

Fury was then asked if Joshua was on his Christmas card list and he claimed that he’d received one from the London 2012 gold medallist.

“No, definitely not, although I have received a nice Christmas card from him yesterday,” Fury said.

It was suggested on Thursday that Fury will have the option of working his way through the Matchroom stable as Hearn offered the controversial heavyweight fights against Dillian Whyte and Tony Bellew before he gets the shot at ‘AJ’ but Fury is rightly focusing more on dropping the considerable weight he gained in his two years away from the fight game rather than rushing back into a bout for the sake of it.

“I have a long way to go before I even contemplate getting back in the ring so the main motivation and focus at the moment is getting into fighting shape,” Fury added.

“It is looking good, losing a bit of weight and doing what you can, but to actually get in fighting shape, mentally, physically, it is a long hard road and I am only a quarter of a mile down a 10-mile track.”