Anthony Joshua was was not phased by the mocking taunts of Tyson Fury on Saturday night following his win over Kubrat Pulev.
Fury took to Twitter to say he would KO AJ inside three rounds in their eagerly-awaited world heavyweight title showdown. He also said Joshua had “just s*** himself on live TV” when asked if he wanted to fight Fury next.
Joshua though, who is the underdog with the bookmakers, says the taunts and the disrespect just drive him on more to pull off the upset.
Joshua on Fury taunts
He told BBC 5Live: “That’s good to hear, at least I can get him in the ring. That’s all we want, right? So he’s on the right track.
“Tyson Fury’s talented and he’ll bring the best out in me, so that’s brilliant. I really feel like his confidence, the bookmakers, me studying him.
“I’ve been to Tyson Fury’s fights when he fought John McDermott and I was still an amateur. I went to his fight versus Chisora, I’ve studied him, I’ve watched him. So when I fight him it will be good to change those odds and put them in my favour.”
Joshua had earlier told Sky Sports: “I started this game in 2013. I’ve been chasing all the belts. I’ve been dealing with mandatories.
“Of course I want the challenge. It’s not about the opponent, it’s about the legacy and the belt. Whoever has got the belt, I would love to compete with them. If that is Tyson Fury, let it be Tyson Fury. It’s no big deal.
“It’s one fight at a time, picking them off one by one. That’s all it’s about for me. I’ve got to stay focused.”
The biggest fight, the only fight – Hearn
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn meanwhile agreed with his man, saying it is time for action and not meaningless hype. That means getting a Fury vs Joshua fight signed, sealed and delivered.
“There’s been a lot of talk. As he said, it’s less talk, more action. Since he came into the office, he wanted to be the Undisputed Champion of the World.
“We’re going to be friendly, we’re going to be nice. We know what we have to do. Starting from tomorrow, we make the Tyson Fury fight straight away.
“It’s the only fight to be made in boxing. It’s the biggest fight in boxing. It’s the biggest fight in British boxing history.”