ANTHONY JOSHUA is ready to go through ‘pain and torture’ to have his hand raised against Tyson Fury.
Joshua’s long-awaited undisputed heavyweight title fight with his fellow Brit, which will land in Saudi Arabia in the summer, is set to be announced in the coming days.
The Watford warrior has been champing at the bit to get his hands on Fury for years and has vowed to walk through hell and back to get the better of The Gypsy King.
AJ told Hornets hitman Troy Deeney: “Am I excited? I ain’t excited, it is what it is.
“I’m getting ready to walk through a brick wall and nothing is getting in my way.
“I’m ready to go through whatever pain, torture, adversity I have to go through in order to win, that’s why I’m really looking forward to it.”
Joshua and Fury’s Saudi showdown will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.
But unified king AJ – who holds four of the division’s six titles – already sees himself as the best heavyweight on the planet.
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He continued: “I know I’m the man of this division and I will be for a long time.
“I came through this game quick and the way I had to learn was through mistakes, on the public stage as well.
“I came into this game not to take part but to take over, I feel I’m on a different wavelength and frequency.
“I do it with a smile on my face but I’m dedicated to these things.
“Recapping over Covid I thought, ‘Man, I’ve put a lot into this and now I need to back myself.'”
Joshua has, so far, opted not to get involved in the mind games of the trash-talking Fury.
He said of Fury’s pre-fight amble: “It’s just psychological warfare. I’ve learnt a lot with that.
“The man will talk about drinking pints and he’s not interested but yet he wants to look chiseled, he’s training the hardest he’s ever trained, he’s the skinniest he’s ever been.
“AJ has a good body and he trains so he wants to be a body builder, but Tyson Fury would do the exact same thing if he could.
“I am everything he wants to be.
“He wants to have a six-pack, that’s why he’s training as hard as he’s training right now. Why he looks so chiselled, why he’s in America.
“I promise you I’m honoured, I’m humbled, I know it’s going to be tough but I truly believe I am tough enough to go through it.
“I don’t need to talk about Tyson Fury and I don’t need to belittle the man, he can do what he wants.”
After months of negotiations, Joshua’s promoter – Eddie Hearn – is hoping to announce the long-awaited Battle of Britain this weekend.
Late last week, the Matchroom Boxing chief said: “Next week could be massive.
“Hopefully we can announce the big one out there as Fury will be there.
“It would be amazing to announce that before or after the fight as it’s a massive show.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
