ANTHONY JOSHUA has revealed it would have taken ‘hundreds of millions’ for him to step aside and allow Tyson Fury to face Oleksandr Usyk next.
The two-time heavyweight world champion is preparing for his rematch against the unbeaten Ukrainian after being outpointed in September.
Anthony Joshua has revealed it would have taken a nine-figure sum for him to have walked away from a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk
Tyson Fury was keen on facing Usyk ahead of Joshua in an undisputed title dust-up
Joshua, 32, is aiming to fight Usyk in May, with promoter Eddie Hearn revealing he wants the bout to take place in the UK.
Though The Cat has cast doubt over when the rematch will take place after joining the fight on the frontline for Ukraine and declaring he is ready to KILL Russian invaders.
Joshua has shown his support for Usyk and Ukraine and hopes the two countries find peace.
And he has also opened up on the stepaside talks that took place, with Fury desperate for his compatriot to give up a shot at winning back his WBA. WBO and IBF titles so he could fight Usyk in an undisputed dust-up.
But the Gypsy King and AJ couldn’t reach an agreement, with the latter only interested in walking away if he received a nine-figure sum.
He told iFL TV: “I asked them for a big stack of dough which I knew they wouldn’t be able to get.
“If they did get it I would have considered it but they didn’t get it.
“I’m focused on the Oleksandr Usyk rematch. If it was hundreds of millions, I’d have been like, ‘yeah, let’s look at it’ but it wasn’t.
“I want to fight and the money will come if I go out there and win.
“Money comes with success so I’d rather do what I can do in the ring, get revenge and get the belts back.”
Joshua has also revealed how he wants his rival Dillian Whyte to beat Fury in their WBC title clash at Wembley on April 23.
He remarked: “It’s a good opponent [for Fury], it’s a good [title] defence against Dillian Whyte.
“Dillian Whyte needs to come in, look at what Tyson Fury does and reacts to, and do the complete opposite. Maybe work the body, and be conditioned to go the distance.
“But I hope Dillian trains hard [and] doesn’t underestimate Tyson. Because it’s his first shot for Dillian, I think he’ll be hungry, do you know what I mean?
“This ain’t like his tenth time fighting for a title, you can have a little hiccup along the way. This is his first time fighting for the title.
“I’m rooting for Dillian, even though I hate him, and I want to smash him one of these days. Go on Dillian, I’m with you all the way.”
- What do we know so far about Fury vs Whyte? All the date, venue and TV info as it is revealed
