Anthony Joshua wants to box Tyson Fury, but after learning from past experiences, refuses to overlook Kubrat Pulev, whom he meets on December 12 this year.
A mouth-watering clash between the two British heavyweight kings is suddenly a very real possibility now a contracted rematch between Fury and Deontay Wilder has been taken off the table after the sides were unable to find a date to fight this year.
Before any fight can take place, however, Joshua must first beat Pulev at the o2 arena.
“The situation with him and Wilder, now he’s up in the air, what he’s doing,” Joshua said, speaking to Sky Sports News. “It’s just a bit of a circus going on. When it’s solidified, you’ll hear it from me. Until then, I’m not really into the whole circus act and trying to promote my name off his back and him doing the same.
“I’m keen to fight him for sure, he’s a competitor in my division. A good one as well. It will give me a chance to showcase what I’m about as well.”
"I will be coming in a better person" 💪
By the time @anthonyfjoshua takes to the ring v Kubrat Pulev in December, it will have been over a year since he won in Saudi Arabia
More: https://t.co/qSR1kbbN5p pic.twitter.com/mWycSjP6b0
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) October 16, 2020
There’s understandable reservations from Joshua to commit to the pre-fight banter before things are signed. He famously was stunned and handed his first loss to Andy Ruiz in Madison Square Garden, which could have potentially destroyed his campaign to become a unified champion.
He eventually avenged the defeat in an immediate rematch.
“I had my little slip-up last year,” Joshua said. “We’ve brushed it off and we’ve got the belts back and now I’m going to go out there and get back on the gravy train and fight the likes of Fury 100 per cent.
“But without getting past Kubrat Pulev, who is a serious competitor and challenger, there aren’t no talks of Tyson Fury and stuff like that.
“It’s a tough game I’m in, because as I said it’s the pot of gold at the end of rainbow, but before that I’ve got to navigate my way through and Pulev is a big old heavyweight standing in the way of that pot of gold.
“I’m still very hungry and disciplined, so I want to steamroll through him. That’s the fighter’s talk coming out. With that being said, it takes a lot of training in the gym and that is what training camp is about.”
