Anthony Joshua reveals the Tyson Fury rivalry goes way past a decade

Joshua explains the long-running feud with Fury

Anthony Joshua returns to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25 in what is widely viewed as the final hurdle before a long-awaited showdown with Fury later this year.

The Gypsy King has also announced that he will have another outing at the end of the month as he takes on Mariusz Wach in Thailand, the day before Joshua’s comeback bout.

Fury's latest appearance ended with a clear-cut points victory over Russia's Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11.

Speaking exclusively to Combat Evolved in association with Pure Digital PR, the former two-time heavyweight world champion reflected on a rivalry that has simmered for almost a decade, insisting Fury has been ‘hating on’ him since the day he turned professional.

“I hadn't even turned pro, and Dillian Whyte was on my back. Imagine I'm still an amateur, and they're saying, 'when Anthony Joshua turns pro we’re gonna smoke him.'

"Then when I turned pro, I got Tyson Fury hating on me, talking a whole load of sh*t, 'he's this, he's that, that he can't box', so for sure these people have been on my back," Joshua said.

"I watch the up-and-coming heavyweights, and they don't have the hate that I had, the pressures that I had. I'm not worried about these guys up-and-coming, I'm worrying about the top dogs. The top dogs at the time were onto me, so the fights with the top dogs were inevitable because they've always wanted it and I had been working my way up the ladder at a quick pace.

"We're not too far away now, we're knocking on the door."

While Joshua insists he does not know Fury away from boxing, years of public criticism have clearly influenced how he views the former world champion.

"I'll watch his Netflix show first," he laughed.

"I don't know Fury, I don't know him. From what I see, he ain't got much nice things to say about me."

Despite those feelings, Joshua knows his immediate focus has to remain on Prenga, who has vowed to derail the long-awaited route to a potential Fury showdown. The former champion has repeatedly stressed that he is not overlooking the unbeaten Albanian, even if his eyes remain fixed on the bigger prize.

"They offered me this fight with Prenga, and they also said, 'if you beat Prenga, then you get the Tyson Fury fight.' That's a big carrot dangling in front of my face, and now we're here.

"That's why you can see I'm putting in a lot of work. I'm not underestimating Prenga, but I know I want to get to the top of the food chain. I've got to go through Prenga, I've got to go through Fury, I'm working for the big picture. I'm not just going to work for Fury once I get past Prenga; I'm working for the big dogs today.

"I've got big dreams. I want the Fury fight, and I'm working towards that now."