Anthony Joshua believes he has an edge should he ever make a fight with undefeated British rival, Tyson Fury.
The will-they-won’t-they rivalry has frustrated boxing fans for some time, and there is still no concrete signs that a fight will be made before either man retires for good.
If they manage to prove the doubters wrong, Joshua – who has built up two wins since losing his unified titles to Oleksandr Usyk – believes he can get one up on Fury via mind games.
He told Men’s Health that he noticed ‘mental issues’ in the well-received Netflix show following ‘The Gypsy King’ and his family.
“I like it. I like his kids. They’re so funny. His wife is loyal, so supportive. I am partly watching it because it gives me an insight that maybe I can use if we do fight … How you can change his mood. They say I am mentally weak. He definitely has mental issues.”
Asked if he would look to exploit what he saw if the two should step through the ropes together, Joshua said yes.
“100%. It’s like going to war.”
Whether the two Brits get to that stage is still up in the air. Despite saying that his career would feel ‘incomplete’ should he not face either Deontay Wilder or Fury before hanging up the gloves, ‘AJ’ says he’s not willing to wait too long.
“I am not waiting around till I’m 40. I can’t drag my career out waiting. In between waiting, I will have to do more fights, more training camps, more pressure.”
The Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time heavyweight champion of the world has reportedly touched down in Texas to being training camp for his next bout, targeted for December. It will not be one of the two names above filling the opposite corner.
As for Fury, he has a crossover bout with Francis Ngannou to tick off his list this month before solidifying the already announced undisputed bout against Usyk.