Anthony Joshua has revealed what was discussed when he ran into Tyson Fury in Marbella, Spain recently.
The heavyweight rivals ran into each other while on holidays with Fury stopping to chat with Joshua, who was taking a walk.
WBA, IBF and WBO champion Joshua has agreed to terms with WBC boss Fury for two fights in 2021 providing both big men are victorious in their upcoming title defences.
Joshua is set to face IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev and has an overdue fight against WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk coming up too. Fury has a mandated rematch against Deontay Wilder in the works.
“My immediate reaction? Not much. To just be myself,” Joshua told Sky Sports.
“I knew he was coming because I know a few people who know his mates.
“I was walking to the port. What’s nice about the situation is that the port is a busy tourist attraction – so it’s not like we saw each other on a private golf course.
“We’re public people, normal people. I was walking down, he was driving. It was the most likely place to find someone like me or Tyson.
“He said: ‘Don’t lose to Kubrat Pulev!’
“I said: ‘That’s something silly to say’.
“He said: ‘Have you got to fight Usyk?’
“I said: ‘Look Tyson – when me and you can get a fight together, we don’t have to worry about Usyk. See you next year’.
“I said hello to Mrs Fury, gave her a wave, and that was it.”
Joshua had previously commented about his holiday: “Fury fans were there. There was a healthy, sporting divide – Fury and AJ. They were shouting ‘Tyson Fury’ as I walked off. I gave them a gesture to let them know that I’m still here, I’m one of the lads as well!
“On my way back they tried to do it again so I confronted them.
“I said: ‘I’m here for the banter but let’s not make it a disrespectful thing. We’re all just here for a good time’.
“That calmed that situation down.
“Next minute, I bumped into Fury!
“It’s only right me and him will bump heads soon. We’ll put on a great show for the British public and the world. It’s going to be a massive fight.”