ANTHONY JOSHUA still does not respect Tyson Fury’s record, despite his dismantling of Deontay Wilder.
The undefeated Gypsy King has two iconic wins on his record — the 2015 masterclass points win over Wladimir Klitschko and the sensational February demolition job on the Bronze Bomber.
But AJ reckons his CV, which includes the scalps of Dillian Whyte, Klitschko, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin, holds up far better under scrutiny — even after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
The WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight champion said: “If the sport is lacking so much talent, it shows that all you need is feints and a bit of movement to be called a great of your generation.
“I wonder what people see in Fury that is so intimidating that he can’t be touched?
“Wladimir Klitschko was his first real challenge and he won that, it took him eight years to get there — from the amateurs to there and then he had years out and fought Wilder.
“He has not been in the deep end enough to prove he can swim there for a long time.
“You don’t just come there once or twice, you have to do it repeatedly against championship-level fighters, that is how you gain my respect.”
Joshua, 30, also pulled no punches when asked about his hot and cold relationship with Whyte, who he lost to as an amateur but beat as a pro.
He said: “I like Dillian as a fighter but I have rooted for some of his competition.
“Against Derek Chisora, I would have liked to have seen Dillian on his back.
“I just don’t listen to what Dillian has to say. They have always tried to tarnish my career and spoken negatively about me, so I don’t respect those guys.
“They don’t really sit in the same room as me, I keep a distance from those sorts of people.”
Joshua also revealed how close he was to quitting boxing before he transformed from a local bad lad to London 2012 golden boy.
He spent time on remand in prison around 2007 and was arrested again in 2010 when police found him with 8oz of cannabis.
He explained: “I was like ‘You know what, f*** this’. I was ready to leave GB Boxing, this s*** ain’t for me.
“But what I realised is that as long as this s*** is not going to kill me, I can always come back tomorrow.
“So I said, ‘I’m going for broke’ and that is where the ‘Stay Hungry’ came from.
“You’ve got to stay hungry, stay motivated.”
