British boxing star Anthony Joshua has said that if a planned mega-fight against Deontay Wilder does not happen in April then he would “happily fight Tyson Fury”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
WBA, IBF and WBO champion Joshua, who will fight mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on 22 September, has another date booked for the national stadium in London on 13 April 2019.
The plan is to fight American Wilder, the WBC champion, but fellow Brit Fury could be lined up instead. Joshua said: “There’s no stopping him [Fury] from stepping up. If the Wilder fight didn’t happen, I would happily fight Fury [in April].”
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After nearly two years out of the ring, former world champion Fury made his return in May with a victory against Albanian Sefer Seferi. His next fight is against Italian Francesco Pianeta in Belfast on 18 August.
For an all-British bout to happen next April Joshua says that Fury must get in shape. Quoted by the Daily Star, Joshua said: “He’s still two stone over when he fought Wladimir Klitschko [in November 2015]. Even though he’s lost weight he’s still two stone over his peak weight.
“When he’s a couple of pounds over, then I’ll say he’s at his peak again. Fury is not yet in condition. It’s up to him. When he’s ready, we’re ready.”
