'They're my belts!' – Tyson Fury slams Anthony Joshua over unification fight

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has fired a dig at rival boxer Anthony Joshua and suggested his fellow Brit – who holds the other three major belts in the division – is not a real champion.

Fury was stripped of the titles Joshua now occupies after his well-publicised struggles outside of the ring following his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, though has fought his way back to the pinnacle of the sport.

The Gypsy King stopped Deontay Wilder in seven rounds last week, though the American has triggered a rematch clause with a trilogy fight set to take place in July.

That means a unification fight between Fury and Joshua will have to wait until the end of 2020, though the WBC champ has played down the significance and does not see AJ as a true champion.

Asked about taking on Joshua to become the undisputed champ, Fury said on This Morning: ‘I’ve already been the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when I beat Klitschko. I had all the belts.

‘So as far as I’m concerned Anthony Joshua has only got my leftovers because I never lost those belts, I had to vacate them for mental health problems to focus on myself.’

When presenter Holly Willoughby suggested Joshua’s belts really belonged to Fury, he agreed: ‘Yeah. They’re my belts.’

Tyson’s wife Paris chimed in, adding: ‘He [Joshua] is just keeping them warm.’

The lineal champ continued: ‘Until a man’s defeated in the boxing ring how can you claim to be the champion when you haven’t beaten the champion?

‘I beat the dominant heavyweight of our era with 26 title defences and went to Germany to do it.

‘Then I’ve been an opponent again and went to America and beat the guy nobody wanted to fight.

‘And now I’ll come back and have two more fights and then hopefully we’ll sail into the sunset.’

Fury has previously suggested he would see out his current contract – which covers a rematch with Wilder and two more fights – before retiring and reiterated that stance once again.

He explained: ‘I’ve got two more fights left then I’m going to really think about what I’m gonna do from there.

‘How long is a piece of string, I’m undefeated in 31 fights, this is my 12th year as a professional, so it’s what do I want?’

Asked if he had considered calling it quits after beating Wilder last week and ignoring the rematch clause, he added bluntly: ‘No, because I’ll be in breach of contract.’

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