Fury: I will fight Joshua when I am match-fit fighter again
Tyson Fury is in no rush to return to the world heavyweight scene as he sets out on the long road back to boxing following a two-year absence.
The eccentric and sometimes controversial 29-year-old has not fought since stunning Wladimir Klitschko to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF belts in November 2015.
Earlier this week, Fury moved a step closer to a return when UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) agreed a resolution to proceedings brought against him, having had his licence suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control in October 2016 after allegations of doping violations.
Fury accepted UKAD’s two-year ban, which was backdated to December 13, 2015 and has therefore been served.
There has been speculation that Fury’s comeback could include a clash with WBA and IBF champ Anthony Joshua, who is due to fight WBO title-holder Joseph Parker in March next year.
“That is a risky fight for Joshua, and it could ruin a big fight between us if he loses,” Fury told the Telegraph.
“Joshua has been a good little polisher boy, polishing up my belts. He is a big strong lad, good power, good physique, but what else can I say? There are levels to this game, and my boxing ability is way more advanced than his is.
“What will they say when the big fat Gypsy King gets in there and makes this Adonis Joshua look like a child in the ring? They’ll say he fought me too soon, that he was inexperienced, that he slipped. But you’ll see it some time sooner or later.
“I won’t be forced into fighting these elite, hard guys until I’m fully fit, mentally and physically. I’ll have been out for two and a half years when I fight next, and I’ve been eating and drinking my way through the country.
“I’ve lost four stone. I need to lose another three to four stone. I’m not a silly man. I’m very, very sharp when it comes to the business of boxing.
“I’ll go when I feel ready – when I’m a match-fit fighter again. But I won’t be rushed back, because one punch can change everything in a heavyweight fight.”
