THE mind games between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have already begun – with the titans arguing over text and FaceTime.
The heavyweight superstars are still in talks for a historic undisputed title decider, which could total up to a whopping £200million.
But not only are the negotiations taking place behind closed doors, the long-time rivals are also secretly goading each other.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed even he is the recipient of a random call from Fury, 32, but Joshua, 31, is sure to give it back to his fellow champion.
Hearn told The Express: “Sometimes I’ve woken up and it’s like 12:30 and I’ve just seen missed call, Fury FaceTime.
“I’ve called him back a couple of times and he hasn’t picked it up. He’s just a wind-up merchant, I think it’s great.
“Where else are you going to get a sport like that? Two blokes that are about to punch each other’s head in and he’s FaceTiming me.
“The mind games are going to be a big part of this fight. That’s another dynamic.
“Part of the promotion, part of the build-up and part of what’s going to make this fight so big.
“I think they’ve argued over text, they’ve argued over FaceTime. It’s bizarre.”
BET OF THE DAY: GET LIVERPOOL AT 10/1 vs LEIPZIG – PLUS MESSI AND MBAPPE 70/1 OFFER
In Fury’s ITV documentary released last year, footage revealed him enjoying a casual chat with AJ while drinking in his local pub.
The pair also ran into each other last summer while holidaying in Marbella and enjoyed a chat.
Fast forward to this year and the pair are finally closing in on a deal to fight each other.
For the first time in heavyweight history, all four of the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts are set to be at stake.
But amid coronavirus restrictions, the Battle of Britain is due to be a foreign fixture, with a venue yet to be confirmed.
With a race to fully promote the gigantic unification clash, July is the latest the two will fight.
And the loser will also have a rematch clause in the contract, meaning a second instalment needs to be squeezed in before Christmas.
Hearn said: “It doesn’t have to be in June, it can be in July. The fact is, we’ve got to do two this year.
“July is the absolute latest but ultimately, I keep saying that we’re not going to finalise the site until the deal is signed but there are talks going on [regarding location] and it’s going to move quite quickly.
“The plan is that any press tour for this is going to be at the end of March or early April, so in that respect we’ve got six weeks to deliver a signed agreement and a site deal which is fine.
“So at the moment, no panic. Again it’s not ‘it happens in June or it doesn’t happen’ but for me, the ideal date would be June then November or December for the second fight.”
