Anthony Joshua has admitted he wants Tyson Fury to beat Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch.
Fury was outpointed by Usyk in their undisputed heavyweight showdown last month as he suffered his first professional defeat. The rivals were expected to meet again in October but their second instalment has been pushed back until four days before Christmas.
Before then, Joshua will take on newly-installed world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley on September 21, meaning Fury and Usyk will only meet for three belts in December. But the winners of the two fights are expected to meet next year - and Joshua hopes he can finally meet his compatriot after almost a decade of back and forth.
Asked if he wants Fury to beat Usyk, he said: "Yeah in a way. I don't mind anymore whether he wins or loses. I just want to fight him, it's been dragging on. Fury ducks a lot of people, he doesn't fight many people, many top-tier people. He needs to get on with it and come and fight me and stop wasting my time. I don't want to wait until I'm 40, 41, 42 to fight him."
Fury and Joshua agreed terms in 2021 but the fight fell apart when Fury was forced to instead face Deontay Wilder for a third time. And asked whether he fears Fury will retire if he loses to Joshua again, he added: "It's up to him. He's put himself in a position to make his own decisions. In terms of the fans, I know what they want. We tried to make the fight happen, it was signed and then it fell apart. We had the Wilder fight signed... I've always stepped up. Hopefully after this we can get it on, finally."
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Joshua will attempt to become a three-time heavyweight world champion when he faces Dubois at the national stadium. And of his opponent, he said: "He's the next man up, congrats to Daniel to winning his last fight. I went out there to watch it, a good fight between him and [Filip] Hrgovic. I picked Dubois to win before and it came true, I’ve had him on mind for a while and he’ll be on my mind for the next 12 weeks until I get my hand raised.
"I’m not silly, I know the game. We are in the wild, we are a pack of lions and I’ve had to keep my eyes peeled on Daniel and the rest of the heavyweights. Whoever would have been in his seat, I would be ready to fight in September. The goal is getting through a successful training camp and doing what I need to do, then performing on the night. The shiny stuff comes at a later date.
"I feel fresh, I feel good. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. That’s about it, that’s my only vice, socialising. I don’t get caught up in antics outside boxing. I use boxing to keep me on the straight and narrow. Young fighters coming up, look after your bodies, look after your minds."
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