ANTHONY JOSHUA has offered to be Tyson Furyโs sparring partner if it helps his fellow Brit beat Deontay Wilder.
Joshua has been left frustrated in his attempts to lure WBC heavyweight champion Wilder into the ring as he bids to unify the division.
Joshua, who now holds the WBA, IBF and WBO belts following his victory over Andy Ruiz Jr last weekend, feels he has a better chance of landing a blockbuster unification showdown with Fury than with Wilder.
Fury faces a re-match with the American on February 22, having drawn their first encounter, and Joshua told Sky Sports News: โI think honestly he might beat Wilder next time.
โI think Fury would fight me quicker than Wilder would, so, if thatโs the case, I want him to win. Imagine that fight on British soil.
โIf Tyson needs me, Iโll go out and spar with him to get him ready for Wilder.โ
Responding to the offer on Instagram, Fury said: โIโve just seen the video of Joshua on Sky Sports saying heโd love to come and help me in camp and that Iโd fight him quicker than Wilder, thatโs for sure.
โWhen I beat Wilder, I will fight you AJ, no problem.
โI would love to have you in camp, mush. Really, really love to have you in camp, work out for this fight and give Deontay Wilder a proper beating.
โI hope you mean it because Iโd love to have you in the training camp with me.โ
Nevertheless Joshua, 30, remains desperate for a mega-fight with Wilder which would see both men attempt to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
โIt still puzzles me as to why itโs so difficult to pin this man down,โ Joshua added.
โThis is the man I need to pin down to get the last ring and conquer this division.
โWhen heโs ready, as I am, I would love to be here talking about Deontay Wilder and the keys to victory.
โItโs not about me, itโs about the sport and the legacy. If he wants to create his legacy and he wants to be a future hall of famer, he needs to come and see us.
โYouโve got the two lords of the rings here. The last one to unify, undisputed, the division. Iโve got four, heโs got one. I just need one more.โ
In the meantime Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev is the IBFโs next mandatory challenger for Joshua, while the WBO has ordered the Londoner to fight Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.
โPulev is a very tough athlete,โ said Joshua. โHe knows what heโs doing and anyone fighting for the championship is a dangerous fighter. My mindset? Seek and destroy.
โUsyk is a great cruiserweight has moved up to be in with the big boys. He will be in my sights for around March or April, and heโs a very credible opponent.
โI want fighters like him on my record. Iโve been studying him already.โ
And as for a potential third meeting with Ruiz Jr, the Mexican who stunned the boxing world by beating Joshua in June?
โOne trillion per cent,โ he said. โI always said Iโd fight him in Tijuana, with his uncle as referee. Me and Andy will soon see each other in the ring again.โ
TYSON FURY HAS LINKED UP WITH NEW TRAINER:
Tyson Fury has teamed up with Javan โSugarโ Hill following his amicable split from trainer Ben Davison.
Davison, who had worked with the 31-year-old boxer since 2017, announced on Twitter that they had parted ways, but insisted they are still friends.
Fury later revealed that he will now work under Hill, the nephew of the late trainer Emmanuel Steward.
Hill will prepare Fury for his heavyweight rematch with American WBC champion Deontay Wilder, which is set to be in February.
Fury had previously worked with Steward out of the Kronk gym in Detroit and used social media to post a picture of them both, along with Hill and former world champion Andy Lee, with the caption: โGetting the old team back up and running.โ
Davison said on Twitter: โObviously itโs not going to stop until thereโs an answer, Tyson and myself had to both make decisions for our careers, which resulted in our working relationship coming to an end.
โHowever, we remain friends and he will smash the dosser!โ