ANTHONY JOSHUA has told Tyson Fury the only way he will become a global megastar like him is to let AJ be his boss!
Following the magnificent February Las Vegas win over Deontay Wilder, the Gypsy King’s stock was sky high and his daily lockdown Instagram workouts were a smash hit.
So in March, when it was revealed the Englishman men had agreed terms on a 2021 two-fight deal, AJ even had to agree to a 50-50 split.
But, after demanding a knock-over opponent on his usual mega-money, Fury‘s UK and US broadcasters were turned off and his December 5 UK comeback was embarrassingly binned.
And the Watford icon, whose Saturday defence against Kubrat Pulev survived an £8m hit after Covid forced it from a packed Tottenham stadium into an almost empty Wembley Arena, has told his rival he needs to jump ship to stay afloat.
Ahead of the 1,000-fan and £24.95 pay-per-view show, the unified heavyweight champ and boss of 258 management teased: “He has had a tough career, ups and downs, opponents not fulfilling their commitments, contracts not being fulfilled.
“I do think he should come over to Matchroom and 258 Management and let us handle his career.
“He’s a superstar in the making. With the right management he could go all the way.
“I see a lot of potential in Tyson, with the right management he could go far, so when he’s ready he can come over and we can get our fight underway.”
Fury’s incredible comeback from a doping ban, a mental health breakdown and a 10st blow-up rightly earned him a nomination for the 2020 Sports Personality of the Year award.
But he bizarrely demanded the BBC removed him from the shortlist and urged his social media followers not to vote in the annual popularity contest.
And AJ, grinning like a Cheshire cat on a Zoom call, continued to playfully patronise him over his latest PR blunder.
He said: “That video he did should be him saying, ‘I’m accepting my award’, not ’I don’t want to be a part of it’”
“We’ll have a look at his PR, we’ll strip it all back and make this fight what it’s supposed to be. He’s got a lot of potential
“I wish him all the best, he should come and see us and we’ll get him on the right track.”
Joshua and young son JJ have been on the right track throughout lockdown, tearing around the local woods on brand new quad bikes.
Tommy Coyle achieved his boyhood dream of boxing at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of AJ’s defeat to Andy Ruiz last year.
And the Hull hero has clearly never forgotten the gesture so sent some serious wheels down south for the Joshua boys to enjoy now the 31-year-old dedicated daddy claims to be too old to party.
When asked how he will celebrate the end of the second lockdown, the 2012 Olympic icon said: “I’m not interested in partying anymore. I’m more dedicated than ever now.
“I’m older, wiser, I haven’t been boxing so long, so over these last 12 years of my career I’ve had to do a lot of maturing, a lot of learning about what it means to be a fighter, what it means to be heavyweight champion, the responsibilities of being a champion.
“Before I was just happy go lucky, going through this boxing industry with a smile on my face, but now I really understand the discipline and the downfalls of the sport.
“We’ve been going on walks down to the woods. My mate comes over with his dog and his son.
“Tommy Coyle did a nice thing, he bought my son two little electric quad bikes, it was really nice of him, so we take them down to the woods.
“What’s nice is I’ve been out enjoying nature and little things, going on walks, so that’s been a blessing.”
Pulev has been the IBF’s mandatory challenger for AJ for three years and has been piping up plenty about Joshua’s supposed weaknesses. So the Brit cannot wait to land on his 39-year-old Bulgarian chin.
The powerhouse growled: “You’re going to have to ask Pulev how he feels but I’m sure after my loss everybody says, ‘Oh, we’re going to exploit Anthony Joshua’s weaknesses’ and all this nonsense.
“So we’ll see how confident he is until the first jab or right hand smashes him in the jaw.”
Joshua added a couple of new coaches to his team for the impressive Ruiz revenge mission and some of Joby Clayton’s unorthodox ideas are a hit on social media.
But one Saudi win is still not enough to convince AJ to ditch meat or his Under Armour trainers.
“I’m still not going vegan,” he laughed. “And I’m not going running barefoot!”
