ANTHONY JOSHUA will fight Tyson Fury, even if Fury loses to Wladimir Klitschko on July 9.
“We’ll still fight. It’ll still be massive,” Anthony said.
At a press conference to announce his fight with Klitschko, Fury did reveal a larger than expected stomach. Joshua though doesn’t anticipate additional bulk being a problem for Fury, the holder of the WBA and WBO heavyweight world titles. “He’ll shed that. The problem is if he’s trying to get to a weight and cuts out foods and stuff like that. When you’re a heavyweight you need energy. So I don’t know if he’s trying to be on a diet plan, I don’t know. But you’re trying to shed the weight it might not work because you need energy. The lighter boxers do it because they can make weight, they haven’t got to use much effort to box and stuff. Interesting. I think it will be the only downfall if he’s trying to make a target weight and he’s having to cut out certain nutrients to get there,” Anthony noted.
Nor does Joshua dwell on their contrasting body types. “It’s genetics. It’s just how I’m built. That’s just how he’s built. That’s what I’m saying, I’m not surprised at his condition because that’s who Fury is but when you talk about this ‘athlete/role model/looking-type’ person, he should come in in at least half decent shape,” he continued.
Joshua didn’t read much into Fury’s comments that he wanted to retire from the sport. “Probably he’s in training camp. Training camp’s a tough place. I think his mind’s probably unsettled at the minute, probably away from home, I don’t know where his camp is. I think after the fight when he spends time with his family, gets to chill out, his words will be a lot different. At the minute when you’re in training camp, you’ve seen it, you’re a bit on edge and stuff, you’re tired and stuff. So maybe you’re just using twitter to be vocal,” Anthony mused.
A new multi-fight deal with US network could bring Joshua to America but he’s in no hurry. “It obviously used to be the Mecca but it isn’t,” he said. “What I used to think of it has changed because of how much stuff is going on in the UK right now. It’s unbelievable. So there’s no rush, as you said, Eddie [Hearn]’s mentioned China. The Rumble in the Jungle was in Africa, you can expand, now I see that. It’s not so much America is the Mecca of boxing, it’s where the vision is, where the entertainment is and it’s about the athlete. And the money… These mega-companies, they have projects where they plan two or three years ahead, so they’re in here, seeing what I’m doing over here and getting interest and then when I get out there it won’t be so much of a shock to the public, they’ll be familiar. That’s what’s been lucky with us being over here is that people have followed my career since I was an amateur. So they need to look at it that way, build my career out there slowly so when I go out there we’re already ahead of the game.
“It may be good for fighting [WBC champion Deontay] Wilder but I don’t want it to stop me fighting any of the other great heavyweights in the division either. It’s interesting.”
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