
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has started the fighting talk ahead of a potential double-header against Anthony Joshua by claiming that he is the bigger puncher of the two.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed on Thursday that the two Brits had reached an agreement for two unification fights in 2021.
Tyson Fury reclaimed the WBC title with his 21st career knockout in a dominant victory over Deontay Wilder back in February, whilst Anthony Joshua currently holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts.
The Watford-born boxer has won 23 of his 24 career bouts, 21 of those by knockout.
No one can doubt the power both stars have, but Fury believes he is the harder hitter of the two, telling Queensbury Promotions’ YouTube channel:
“I turned pro at 19. As a child, I was boxing men.
“[Anthony Joshua] never turned pro until he was mid-20s, when he was a man. So I was learning as a young kid. If I had turned pro at 25, 26, then I’d have knocked all the people out who went the distance with me when I was a young boy.
“I’ve never been a stand-still man who lands big shots, because I’m a slick boxer. I’ve just knocked out the heaviest puncher in boxing history. Andy Ruiz is not a big puncher but he knocked out Anthony Joshua.
“So I’d say I am a harder puncher than him. There’s people who have sparred both of us and quite a few of them have said it as well.
“But it’s not about who can punch hardest – it’s about the skill that goes behind it. I am still unbeaten in a 12-year professional career. I’m a force to be reckoned with.”
These planned fights can only go ahead if Deontay Wilder doesn’t take up the rematch clause in his contract from his last fight with Fury.
The Brit was the dominating winner of the fight earlier this year after a controversial draw between the two in December 2018, in which many boxing experts believed Fury was the clear and decisive winner, but for the judges’ scorecards.
On top of that, Anthony Joshua is scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev, whilst Dillian Whyte is the mandatory challenger, which the governing body want to see his challenge by February 2021.
However, Fury isn’t keen on facing Whyte with bigger bouts on the horizon, telling Queensbury Promotions’ YouTube channel:
“Dillian Whyte is looking for a payday against me. The last few fights I’ve got left, I want them to be the biggest possible. It won’t be an organisation dictating to Tyson Fury. Let’s face it: nobody’s ever dictated to the champ.
“These low-profile fighters, they don’t mean anything to me. I’m a proud WBC champion, but I’m the lineal heavyweight champion, which trumps everything.
“I’ve completed boxing now. The belts are just pieces of leather with some fancy metal stuck on them. They mean a lot to an unknown champion, but not when you’ve been ruling the game for as long as I have.”
