Tyson Fury has warned Anthony Joshua there should be “no excuses” to prevent an all-British undisputed Heavyweight world title clash.
WBC world champion, Fury is edging closer to a meeting with unified IBF, WBA ’Super’, WBO and IBO titlist, after mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte’s defeat to Alexander Povetkin on Saturday, with a two-fight deal already agreed for 2021.
The pair must come through Deontay Wilder and Kubrat Pulev respectively later this year, but Fury has stoked the flame for a highly-anticipated unification which would determine the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis.
“I know Eddie Hearn and Matchroom were trying to protect Joshua,” Fury told BT Sport.
“By not letting him fight me and trying to put a hurdle in the way with Dillian Whyte and if you don’t fight Dillian Whyte, Joshua won’t fight.
“But the fact of the matter is I don’t need any of their fighters, they need me.
“I’m the only undefeated world heavyweight champion that’s left out there, all the rest have fell by the wayside and been chinned, knocked out, stopped and battered.
“They need me, I’m a stand alone Gypsy King giant ruling the division, ruling the roost. So I don’t need any of them, any of their money, what they can bring to the table.
“But for the fans you want the biggest fights possible and the biggest fight out there now is me and Joshua.
“So let’s make it happen, stop running away, stop making excuses, put your nuts in your handbag and let’s get to fight.”
Whyte saw his hopes of facing Fury in a mandated world title fight dashed, following his devastating fifth round stoppage loss to Povetkin on Saturday, who rallied back after being knocked down twice in round four.
However, the ‘Gypsy King’ has urged the Brixton man to bounce back and Whyte has already vowed to exercise his rematch clause for later this year.
“All these boxers like Joshua, Whyte, Chisora, Povetkin. All them people are on around about the same level,” Fury added.
“I see them as four, fives and sixes all mixing together and at any given time they can take each other out.
“As you’ve seen with Chisora, Whyte and Takam and [Jarrell] Miller and on any given night they can all have victories over each other and that’s Heavyweight boxing.
“As for Dillian Whyte getting knocked out, it was what it was.
“Regroup, back to the drawing board. It just shows you what level we’re at.
“Povektin is 40-years-old, an inspiration for men of that age.”
Fury is awaiting a date for his contracted third fight with Wilder, set to take place before the end of the year with Las Vegas, Saudi Arabia and China all in the running to stage it.
And 32-year-old, who stopped Wilder in seven rounds in their February rematch following a controversial draw in 2018, insists he will not take the Alabama man lightly, despite a one-sided display.
Fury continued: “I don’t overlook people, as you’ve seen last night you overlook fighters, you bang on about other fights, you get chinned.
“For me I just want to concentrate on Deontay Wilder, the most dangerous fighter on the planet history’s ever had.
“Get past that first, that’s the only thing I’m looking at.”
