ANTHONY JOSHUA has recalled what happened during his secret sparring session with rival Tyson Fury.
AJ took on the Gypsy King when he was just 20-years-old at Finchley Boxing Club in Barnet.
Fury had been professional for two years at the time and was so confident in his ability that he put his Rolex watch on the line for a sparring session.
Despite his amateur status, Joshua responded and called the heavyweight out for a fight.
Recalling the little-known session on the This Life of Mine podcast, AJ told James Cordon: “So this guy called Tyson Fury, who I have no idea who he is, comes down the gym.
“And word on the streets is that Tyson said: ‘If anyone knocks me out, I’m the best heavyweight. If anyone knocks me out they get my Rolex watch.’
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“Hey, I was looking at the cash. I’m saying a Rolex, yeah. I said, let’s go. Bell goes, we go at it, we go at it. I think we sparred about three or four rounds.
“Even Tyson, actually, he done an interview promoting the fight. ‘There’s this kid called Anthony Joshua, I sparred him down at Finchley Boxing Club. I’ll tell you what, he’s s**t hot. I believe he’s going to go on and do great things. He hit me with a shot that nearly took my head off.’ And this and that.”
It’s not clear if AJ took Fury’s Rolex from him.
The two heavyweights are fierce rivals now, but at the time Fury heaped praise on Joshua.
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Following the fight, the Gypsy King said: “He came at me for three rounds and he gave me a beating. I mean, I’m not going to deny it. For three rounds I thought, oh my God, how much is killing me?
“But the kid’s only 20, for him to put up a good performance like that against a top prospect in me, I think he’s one for the future.”
Boxing fans are now desperate to see the two Brits fight with a title rather than a Rolex on the line.
They have come close to negotiating terms for a bout in recent years, but it is yet to come to fruition.
The two have become bitter rivals as a result.
AJ concluded: “After that, the praise stopped because he realised I was on his coattails!
“So I started chasing him up the division. And you know, that fight is one that has never been so close.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
