Anthony Joshua has told Tyson Fury to "shut the f*** up" if the pair try to successfully negotiate a grudge fight.
The British heavyweight returned to the ring this weekend outpointing Jermaine Franklin to return to the winning column in his career. It remains unclear what is next for 'AJ' who is starting to rebuild under new trainer Derrick James, but he has been heavily linked with fights against Fury and Deontay Wilder next with an immediate title challenge potentially on the cards.
However after the final bell, Joshua asked the fans who they wanted to see him fight a nd he discussed a potential fight with Fury in the ring after they replied with the Gypsy King. Fury has been set to meet Joshua on two occasions recently, but the outing has collapsed with the most recent negotiations stalled by missing Fury's public deadline.
And the 33-year-old has insisted that his rival should not be worried about trash talk and wait for their potential showdown to be confirmed. He said: “Save all that s***. If we’ll f***ing fight, let’s go. Shut the f*** up and that’s just how I feel because I got to save my energy for the fight.
“I’ll be real, I’ll be real. I respect the man. He’s achieved a lot. I just feel I don’t need to trash talk, verbally trash talk someone to make myself feel better. “You are not going beat Tyson Fury in a verbal contest."
Joshua had also spoken about negotiations immediately after the final bell in London insisting Fury's team should contact his to work on previous details. “I try and provide for the fans, I know who the fans want – Fury, yeah? The ball is in his court,” Joshua said in his post-fight interview.
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“I would be 100 per cent honoured to compete for the WBC Championship of the world. I stand here and say that proudly, that would be an honour. Wherever you are, if you are listening, you know my management, you know my promoter. We’ve had dialogue before so let’s continue this and hopefully we can get this done sooner rather than later. We aren’t getting any younger.”
Joshua could find himself a significant underdog if he is to step in the ring with Fury next, given the champion's undefeated status. It is more likely that he will instead continue to rebuild with a rematch against Dillian Whyte potentially on the cards next, given he recorded the same result against Franklin.
Fury looked set to face Joshua's former two-time conqueror Usyk in a clash for the undisputed crown this month, but negotiations collapsed after the Ukrainian grew tired of his rival's public demands. It looks likely that the Briton could next take on Joe Joyce but he will likely take some time away from the sport briefly to ponder his options.
