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WBC and LINEAL!! heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has recently agreed to terms for a pair of fights with Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, with those fights set to happen in 2021 — if neither man loses by then.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO) was interviewed during tonight’s ESPN card from Las Vegas, and said that even though he’s agreed to face Joshua (23-1, 21 KO) next year, he won’t be overlooking Deontay Wilder or anyone else.
“I like to keep busy, I like to know what’s coming up in my future. A lot of people think it’s a big mistake to book fights in advance, but I never overlook an opponent,” Fury told Joe Tessitore.
“I would never take Deontay Wilder lightly, I know what he holds in both hands and how much damage he can do. I’m going to train really, really hard for Deontay Wilder, put in a great performance, get him out of the way, put Deontay Wilder to bed, and move on.”
Fury also warns that there is no guarantee that the fights with Joshua will happen.
“Fights like this have been agreed before and then not materialized because one fighter lost or what have you,” he said. “But I’m not going to concentrate on (Joshua) at all. I’m only going to concentrate on Wilder, whenever that’s going to be. I’m definitely not looking ahead a full year.”
While Fury is confident he’ll be successful in a third fight with Wilder, he noted that Joshua has two mandatory challengers due fights, and how rough that could make the road.
“I think he’s got two mandatories, actually. I’ve read in the paper that both mandatories want their fight. He’s got Kubrat Pulev, who’s a tough fight for anybody. And then he’s also got Oleksandr Usyk, who is a slick southpaw boxer.
“By no means has he got easy fights coming up, just as I haven’t with Deontay Wilder. There’s no guarantee anything will happen. Nothing is certain in life, especially not in boxing.”