Anthony Joshua has hit out at the way Tyson Fury conducts himself, labelling his fellow British heavyweight a “disrespectful idiot”.
It was announced on Wednesday (26 June) that Joshua will box compatriot Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September, challenging the 26-year-old for the IBF heavyweight title.
Oleksandr Usyk vacated that belt this week, a month after beating Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion – the first in 24 years. Usyk entered Saudi Arabia with the IBF, WBA and IBO titles, and he took Fury’s WBC strap with a split-decision win.
Joshua lost the unified belts to Usyk in 2021 and failed to regain them from the Ukrainian in 2022, losing on points both times. Yet the Briton holds no grudge towards Usyk, telling reporters on Wednesday that he’d rather his old rival was undisputed champion than Fury.
“I’m glad Fury isn’t the undisputed champion, I just think he’s an idiot,” said Joshua, 34. “If it was someone else [who lost the undisputed fight], I might think it was a shame.
“I’ve always said he’s an idiot, he’s very disrespectful. I just feel like he thinks by stepping on other people, that makes him feel better.
“I’m in competition with no one, I’m in my own lane, but he has to step on people to make himself feel good, and that’s not good.
“The way he disrespected Usyk, calling him a little rabbit and a middleweight, it’s not good for the sport. If I respect you and you respect me, we can lift this sport up, and people think we are two of the most elite fighters in the world.
“But Fury will step on you and make you look like a guy who’s just walked out of the pub, and he’s not on your level. Then he goes and gets spanked; he deserves it.”
Usyk stayed unbeaten and took Fury’s zero by beating the “Gypsy King” in May, and the pair are set for a rematch in Riyadh in December.
Undisputed status will no longer be on the line, however, as interim IBF champion Dubois was handed the official belt this week, after Usyk vacated the regular title. The winner of Joshua vs Dubois is expected to fight the winner of Fury and Usyk’s rematch.
Dubois was stopped by Usyk in August, but only after dropping the Ukrainian with a controversial low blow – which he maintains was a legal body shot.
“Usyk is a good fighter, there is no denying it,” Joshua said on Wednesday. “[Fury should] just give him his flowers and move on. I want [Fury] to win the rematch, 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.”
