An incredible clip from 2010 has resurfaced in which Tyson Fury admits he was nearly knocked out by an amateur Anthony Joshua in a north London sparring session.
Joshua and Fury are being tipped to go head-to-head in one of the biggest British heavyweight fights of all time in 2021, but it appears it will not be the first time the pair have stepped in the ring together.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live’s Mike Costello and Steve Bunce back in 2010, a then 22-year-old Fury explained that he was caught off-guard by how impressive Joshua – then an amateur – was.
Anthony Joshua has fought at Finchley Boxing Club for years. He is pictured back in 2013
Tyson Fury (pictured right, in 2011) admits he nearly got knocked out by Joshua back in 2010
‘I came up yesterday from Manchester and I went down to Finchley Boxing Club,’ Fury explains on the call. ‘I sparred with the ABA Champion, Anthony Joshua. He’s red-hot him. He’s very good.
‘He’s very good. To be honest with you, I thought I’m only going to take it easy because he’s only an amateur and he probably won’t spar again if I go mad. He’s rushed out at me… BASH, he gave me a big uppercut right in the point of the chin. If I had a bit of a weak chin like David Price, I’d have been knocked out for a month.’
At the time, Joshua was still three years away from turning professional, and two years out from his Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
Even then, though, Fury appeared to know that he would go far, noting: ‘He’s very, very, very good. He’s only young, watch out for that name! Anthony Joshua. He is one prospect for the future.’
Continuing, Fury said: ‘I’m a good prospect. I rate myself as one of the top heavyweights in the world. He came out at me for three rounds and he gave me a beating.
‘I thought, “Oh my God, an amateur’s killing me!” The kid’s only 20, and I’m a handful myself, but for him to put up a good performance like that against a top prospect in me, I think he’s one for the future. I would say he’s the best amateur boxer in this country, super heavyweight, by a mile.’
Fast forward 10 years and the pair are now the top two heavyweights not only in British boxing but the world too, ready to fight each other once more in two eagerly-anticipated 2021 battles.
Joshua (in 2010, the year he sparred Fury) has come a long way in the last decade of his career
Last weekend, Joshua beat Kubrat Pulev and a fight against Fury in 2021 is now on the cards
The first fight is expected to take place away from UK soil, with Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia both being mooted, and has been tipped to land 2.2million pay-per-view purchases.
A financial agreement has been reached between the pair that the purse will be split 50/50 for the first fight, with the victor taking 60 per cent of the purse for the rematch.
Only a few hurdles now remain before the most eagerly-awaited fight in British boxing history is confirmed. Deontay Wilder, the former WBC champion dethroned by Fury, still insists he is contractually obliged a trilogy fight, which Fury’s team disputes.
Fury praised Joshua’s uppercut – the punch which famously helped defeat Wladimir Klitschko
Meanwhile the WBO are suggesting that Joshua, who beat Kubrat Pulev on Saturday to clear the path further towards the fight with Fury, might have to fight their mandatory challenger, Oleksandr Usyk, or relinquish their belt.
Joshua is also the IBF and IBO world champion, and it is hoped that all five world heavyweight titles held by the British duo will be on the line in a true unification fight when Fury and Joshua finally meet again.
