Tyson Fury believes Anthony Joshua is saying things in public that he doesn’t truly believe.

The two heavyweights have been going back and forth since Joshua defeated Kubrat Pulev last month, with a unification title bout targeted as one of the biggest match-ups in boxing. While both men are saying the right things ahead of an announcement, Fury believes his countryman is simply saying things as opposed to believing them.

“This fight has been brewing for a long time. They have been avoiding me for a long time and now it’s finally got to happen. They either run away from the fight and announce it publicly, or take the fight. Either way it’s a lose-lose situation for him,” Fury said, speaking to Fox Miami.

For example, Joshua recently said he was looking to take Fury’s head off his shoulders — words that ‘The Gypsy King’ is shrugging off with ease.

“It’s a nice quote. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s sticks and stones. People say a lot of stuff and they don’t back it up, so we’ll see,” Fury said. “I’ve never seen him take anybody’s head off anybody’s shoulders in all of his 22 fights. Probably a lie. Another lie. We’ll see if he’s got the guts to try and do it when I’m stood in the ring in front of him. I don’t believe he has.

“I don’t think he’s as good as people crack him up to be, or he doesn’t believe he is, in his own self. He’s got a confidence issue. He’s coming off two shaky performances. Boxing is all about who is in form and who isn’t. On his last two fights he’s not in form, on mine I am. Momentum is with me and I just believe I take him out early, very early. Maybe even one round, two rounds.”