Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua is a "stepping stone" towards a trilogy fight with Oleksandr Usyk and vowed to knock out his British rival "inside seven rounds". On Thursday, confirmation finally arrived that Fury and Joshua's long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown will take place at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday December 11. Speaking for the first time since the announcement, Fury has predicted that he will inflict a one-sided defeat on Joshua to set up a third fight against Usyk, who defeated him twice in 2024 on points decisions.
"I'm just going to knock him [Joshua] out, 100 per cent," Fury said on the Furocity YouTube channel. "I'm going to box the head off him and stop him inside six or seven rounds. I'm only using Joshua as a stepping stone, a warm-up to Usyk.
"Joshua, for me, is an old bum. Too many weights, not enough speed. Too many weights, no cardio.
So I'll cut through him like a hot knife through butter. I want him in America, though, where I get a fair decision. I won the first two fights, and I'll definitely get a decision here, where it's fair.
"But, listen, now I want to use AJ as a heavy bag. Punch the **** out of him and then move on to Usyk. Give me a good warm-up before March next year." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Negotiations over the Fury vs Joshua fight had repeatedly hit stumbling blocks before this week's announcement and Fury insists he still has lingering doubts after Joshua turned down a face-off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
"He had his chance [or a face-off]. He was a little ****house at Tottenham the other month, whenever it was. Didn't want to get in the ring.
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