Tyson Fury sends message to Anthony Joshua: ‘Grow a set of nuts and step up to the plate instead of talking’

After Fury drew with WBC champion Deontay Wilder in December, the ‘Gypsy King’ has called on Joshua to stop talking about fighting the best heavyweights and actually fight them

Tyson Fury, resplendent in clothing depicting all the heavyweight icons of yesteryear, accused Anthony Joshua of living in the past and warned the reigning IBF, WBO and WBA champion that people are growing ‘sick’ of him.

The two undefeated British behemoths are in transatlantic action during the space of the same fortnight next month and both men are hoping to make a bigger impression on the American boxing public than the other.

Joshua faces late stand-in Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden, New York on June 1 before Fury makes his Las Vegas debut against Tom Schwarz at the MGM Grand two weeks later. Both are expected to win well.

Joshua had suggested that Fury has chosen 6ft 6in Schwarz because he wants to warm-up for a fight with him by boxing another towering heavyweight. Fury, however, laughed at the suggestion that his next opponent was part of a roadmap to the 2012 Olympic champion from Watford.

“Joshua is in my rear view mirror,” he said. “He’s stuck in a certain year. The big fights ain’t happening for him.

“He needs to grow a set of nuts and step up to the plate instead of talking about fighting the heavyweights and actually fight some.

“People are sick of hearing all the same stuff with him – grow up and step up to the plate and fight somebody.

“You have to prove yourself in the boxing ring, that’s how boxing works. I’ve had to prove myself time and time again. Step up and fight somebody. That’s how the cookie crumbles.”

Two weeks before Joshua faces Ruiz, the third man in the heavyweight triangle, Deontay Wilder, takes on mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in his first appearance since drawing with Fury in Los Angeles on December 1.

Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua needs to step up to the plate and fight somebody (PA)

When asked who of the trio faces the toughest test, Fury said: “I’m not sure. Out of all three fights you have Schwarz, Ruiz and Breazeale. I think they’re all pretty much similar

“I actually think that Tom is unbeaten, Breazeale has been sparked before, and Andy Ruiz had that controversial loss to Joseph Parker. With Tom being undefeated, he will bring more pride to the ring out of all of them.”

This is the first fight of Fury’s 30-month, $100m megadeal with ESPN, which could make the self-styled Gypsy King something approaching a household name in America.

Bob Arum, who will now promote Fury in the States, even likened Fury’s situation to that of heavyweight icon George Foreman, who was one of the men pictured on the lining of the 30-year-old’s suit.

The plan is to book Fury on US TV programmes like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the Late Late Show with James Corden. Arum even explained that they will use a private jet to fly Fury from his training camp in Las Vegas to film in Los Angeles over the next month or so.

Joshua believes Fury and he will face one another in the near future (Getty)

However the 27-0-1 former IBF, WBO and WBA champion insists he will not be distracted by any attempts to build his profile.

“It’s going to be a great time for me to go to America and do my thing,” Fury said. “I went over there and fought Deontay Wilder, I’m going to go back there and tick off all the bucket list fights.

“I’m out again in September if all goes well against Schwarz, but I’m thinking one fight at a time. They will all be in America, every one of them. Maybe I’ll get another one in December, who knows.

“They’re going to try and get me on a few talk shows, all that stuff. But at the end of the day it’s all about performance.

Fury hasn’t fought since drawing with Wilder last December (PA)

“When you go there and you want to become a celebrity, which I have no interest in at all, and you overlook what you do for a living, which is boxing, you end up getting chinned as we’ve seen time and time again.

“I’d rather win all my fights than be a celebrity and have no money as well, just to win. It’s about winning for me. What motivates me is the Ws. It’s not the suits or the fast cars. It’s about winning.

“On the night I want to win. I don’t want to make a tonne of money – a shit load of cash, as they say in America – and lose fights. That’s what winners do: we win.

“I said to Bob, ‘what’s your motivation for this deal?’ He told me he wants to ride a massive wave of success with Tyson Fury and I’ll say that motivates me as well. I want to ride a massive tidal wave, a tsunami, of big fights. That’s what I want to do.

Tom Schwarz (r) will face Fury on June 15 in Las Vegas (Getty)

“I want to cement my legacy of the greatest of my era and my division.

So will there be another heavyweight in 40 years time wearing a shirt with a picture of his face on?

“You don’t have to wait 40 years,” he said, pulling back the lapel of his suit and pointing to a tiny sketch of his face. “I’m on this bad boy already. Of course I am.”

Heavyweight Tyson Fury takes on Tom Schwarz, live on BT Sport Box Office, Saturday 15 June. For more information go to www.bt.com/btsportboxoffice