Fights in boxing start long before the bell rings. Attempting to get inside his opponent’s head, Tyson Fury moved to rattle Anthony Joshua on the eve of the Jake Paul fight. Though the duo have been in talks for a matchup, for one reason or another, the all-British clash between two of Great Britain’s biggest draws has hung in the balance.

With multiple reports claiming a fight is being planned for 2026, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua may have a chance to set the record straight. And what better way to hype up the much-anticipated fight than firing a salvo while Joshua is tied down with other bouts? However, AJ made it clear – Fury would have to try harder to get under his skin.

Anthony Joshua brushes aside Tyson Fury’s mind games

As he wrapped up the final press conference for the Jake Paul fight, Anthony Joshua handled Tyson Fury‘s comments with typical composure. What he does inside the ring is part of his job. Though it may sound crude, even a few fighters from the past have said it before – boxing is the only sport where you have a license to kill another human. AJ had threatened Jake Paul, “If I can kill you, I will kill you.”

He stood by those comments when Ariel Helwani noted that Tyson Fury had labeled him ‘classless’ for saying so. “We’ve a license to kill,” he said, adding, “Many people don’t understand it, but this is what my job is, and I just enjoy what I do. Whatever happens happens.” It’s the mentality a fighter possesses when he steps into the ring, AJ argued.

You might enter a fight thinking you won’t harm your opponent, but many times it doesn’t go that way. “But if they don’t, you know, you still have to go to bed at night knowing that you just did your job. It wasn’t personal,” the former champion clarified.

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To Fury, all that talk of killing someone in the ring was gross.

AJ vs. Fury: The waiting game continues

AJ is spewing venom when he’s at the tail end of his career, Fury claimed. He’s fighting a YouTuber-turned-fighter whom his brother Tommy had beaten previously. “Here’s a fun fact,” Fury stated from inside his car, surrounded by his family. “If I ever come across you, bum, I’m knocking you dead, spark. I’m not a YouTuber or a man your size. I am him, the man. You’re a classless loser coming off a 15-month knockout defeat to a local lad,” Fury stated.

Tyson Fury could hardly wait to see Jake Paul score a huge upset at the Kaseya Center the following night.

Though not confirmed, reports suggest Tyson Fury could end his year-long retirement with a tune-up fight before facing AJ. The two British heavyweights have been circling each other for the last few years. Calling out Fury to finalize the terms of their fight, Joshua had earlier revealed. “It happened around the time when he laced up the title defense against then-rising star Oleksandr Usyk.

Meanwhile, comments from Fury’s manager, Frank Warren, hinted that things are moving but are far from concrete. “There’s been some talk going on; there’s nothing been signed yet, but Tyson’s indicated if it’s the right deal, he’ll definitely do it,” the Queensberry head stated.

For now, the onus is on Anthony Joshua. He has to defeat Jake Paul in emphatic fashion and make his words ring true. Anything short would only bolster Tyson Fury’s claims.

How do you think the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight will end tomorrow?