Anthony Joshua has insisted he is pleased Tyson Fury has ascended to the summit of the heavyweight division once again, saying that competition in the ranks can help cement his legacy.
The Gypsy King completed a stunning comeback to the pinnacle of the sport with a brutal destruction of Deontay Wilder in February, having been out of boxing for almost 1,000 days.
Fury’s impressive display against the previously undefeated Bronze Bomber has convinced many that the Mancunian is the No 1 boxer in the heavyweight division, but AJ is happy that his fellow Brit is back at the top and that he wants to take on both Fury and Wilder.
‘I’m happy Fury won — it changed the whole dimension of the heavyweight division,’ the WBA, WBO and IBF champion told Apple Music via The Sun.
‘We’re fighting for legacy. I need Wilder. I need Fury. I’m ready for them. I’m waiting for them.’
But first, AJ has a mandatory contender to deal with before turning his attention to the victor of the Fury-Wilder rematch.
Joshua must face Kubrat Pulev next, with Eddie Hearn, the Brit’s promotor, looking to schedule a date in October for the champion to defend his crown.
AJ last competed in December last year, where he avenged his sole professional defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There had been hopes that, had AJ and Fury won their respective upcoming bouts, a unification bout later this year could be pencilled in. However, the coronavirus pandemic has meant that that bout is expected to be pushed back into 2021.
AJ and Fury bumped into each other in Marbella, Spain, earlier this month. The pair reportedly told each other to win their next bouts so an all-British showdown could be arranged.
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