Anthony Joshua says he is ‘way ahead of where he should be’ and emphasized that fellow heavyweight title holder Tyson Fury is ‘six years ahead of him in terms of turning professional.’
The British pair, who hold all the world heavyweight title belts between them, have a financial agreement in place for two fights next year, though both are likely to have bouts before both face-off.
While AJ is set to fight mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, Fury could face Deontay Wilder for the third time – yet Joshua did not shy away from comparing himself to Fury ahead of a potential unification clash in 2021.
Being world champion, with all those knockouts, you do feel kind of unstoppable,’ Joshua told GQ Middle East.
“But realistically, in boxing terms, I’m way ahead of where I should be. I’m working at such a quick pace. I shouldn’t even be in a position where I’m mentioned in Tyson Fury’s era.”
“He’s five or six years ahead of me in terms of turning professional. In fact, when he was turning pro, I was just putting on my gloves for the first time.”
Joshua, 30, first fought professionally in October 2013, having won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London, while Fury, 32, fought professionally for the first time in December 2008.
Following a shock first loss of his career to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019, Joshua avenged that defeat by winning the rematch in Saudi Arabia in December.
Fury, meanwhile, is still unbeaten in his professional career and produced a stunning performance to knockout Wilder in February.
An all-British bout for the right to be called unified heavyweight champion of the world would be a blockbuster event and Joshua insists he does not see Fury as a ‘massive threat’.
Tyson needs educating. All us athletes do. We often didn’t go far in school, so a lot of our comments and actions aren’t great. But let’s talk about him as a boxer,’ Joshua added.
“I don’t find him intimidating and I haven’t seen him do anything in the ring where I think, this guy is going to be a massive threat.”
“He’s talented and he’s awkward, and that’s often enough to get you quite far in life.”
