After yesterday’s news that both men have signed on the dotted line, the combat sports world is buzzing about Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury.
These two men have been circling each other for years now in the heavyweight division. Some feared we’d never see the day where they finally square off, but now, we’re closer than ever before.
As such, it only makes sense to look back at a fascinating BBC Radio 5 Live interview Fury had over a decade ago where he discussed sparring Joshua.
The first meeting of both men
Spoiler: he’s far more complementary than you might expect.
“I came up yesterday from Manchester and I went down to Finchley Boxing Club,” Fury revealed.
“I sparred with the ABA Champion, Anthony Joshua. He’s red hot him, he’s very good.
“He’s very good. To be honest with you, I thought I’m only going to take it easy because he’s only an amateur and he probably won’t spar again if I go mad.
“He’s rushed out at me… BASH, he gave me a big upper cut right in the point of the chin.
“If I had a bit of a weak chin like David Price, I’d have been knocked out for a month.”
Fury ended 2010 at 13-0 whereas Joshua only turned pro in 2013 after winning Olympic gold the year prior.
“He’s very, very, very good. He’s only young, watch out for that name! Anthony Joshua. He is one prospect for the future.
“I’m a good prospect. I rate myself as one of the top heavyweights in the world. He came out at me for three rounds and he gave me a beating.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, an amateur’s killing me!’. The kid’s only 20, and I’m a handful myself, but for him to put up a good performance like that against a top prospect in me, I think he’s one for the future.
“I would say he’s the best amateur boxer in this country, super heavyweight, by a mile.”
He may have praised him back then, but we can’t imagine Fury will be quite so complimentary in the run-up to this meeting.
Featured image credit: Getty
