Anthony Joshua insists he is not going to “waste his time” waiting to fight Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder as he prepares for a Dillian Whyte rematch next month.

After discussions over taking on Fury broke down, former world champion Joshua had been linked with a fight against Wilder in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua, though, will now face off against Whyte again, having defeated his rival in a British and Commonwealth title clash in December 2015 to avenge a defeat when they had met as amateurs.

The 33-year-old is continuing to build up his record again, having beaten Jermaine Franklin on points in April after suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, the unified champion who is set to face Britain’s Daniel Dubois in Poland next month.

“I’m definitely up for fighting,” Joshua told a press conference to preview the sold out fight at the O2 Arena.

“There are a lot of names in the division but at the same time look at what this (fight) creates, I’m a fighter but I understand the business as well.

“Wilder and them lot have been doing my head in for years, you’ve seen now the shenanigans in the heavyweight division – even with Fury, saying he was training for Usyk, you can see all the lies going on so I don’t waste my time with time wasters.

“I just want to fight, get on with it. I’m going to be 34 this year, let’s crack on while I’m here, I’m not going to waste my time waiting for people and chasing for people.

“Even from the amateurs you could see the trajectory I was on; ready to get down, ready to put my neck on the line and fight whoever and it is still like that.”

If Joshua comes through his rematch with Whyte, which will be shown live by broadcaster DAZN, he is then expected to go on to meet Wilder in another lucrative heavyweight showdown.

“This is a massive night for my career,” added Joshua.

“Dillian is a credible and solid opponent, I have an underlying respect for every man I get in the ring with. I could fight now, it is in my heart. I just want to fight.”

For Whyte, 35, it is a chance to level up with Joshua in the professional ring after beating the Olympic gold medallist in the amateurs.

He suggested such victories could be all that are left for him as he enters the twilight of his career, having already avenged a shock knockout defeat to Alexander Povetkin in 2020.

“I have had three losses, avenged one, if I get the other two (Joshua and Fury) I don’t care about boxing after that,” he said.

“We have both had three losses but we both have a lot of hunger so I can’t wait to get in there – I am hoping for the best version of him, I don’t worry about what people say. I am coming to fight and have nothing to lose.”

Tyson Fury has not heard anything from Anthony Joshua over an all-British heavyweight bout, claims the former's promoter George Warren.

A long touted fight between the pair has been on the cards several times over the years, but has failed to materialise for multiple reasons.

Fury was set to face Oleksandr Usyk in a proposed undisputed world title bout later this month, while Joshua defeated Jermaine Franklin earlier this month.

Hope for another round of negotiations with former two-time world champion Joshua had been mooted, but now Warren says no discussions have been had.

"I don't know the answer to that," he told Sky Sports. "The other side spoke a lot about wanting to reach out and contact us after the fight with Franklin.

"We've not heard anything, not had any contact, so there's been nothing to discuss with Tyson.

"They made it quite clear pre-Franklin fight that they wanted to maybe look at that fight for the summer. They thought maybe there was an opportunity.

"I haven't heard from them. I haven't had a phone call, I haven't spoken to anyone about it. You'd have to ask them."

Joshua, who lost twice to Usyk including in a rematch last year in Saudi Arabia, returned to winning ways against American Franklin earlier this month.

However, he has since indicated he will not fight again until December, leaving the rest of the heavyweight division to look for other opponents.

Fury meanwhile has not fought since a trilogy bout victory against Derek Chisora in December.

Dillian Whyte believes he should be Anthony Joshua's next opponent, claiming the 33-year-old is wasting his time by pursuing a bout against Tyson Fury.

Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk to cede his heavyweight belts, Joshua returned to the ring to beat Jermaine Franklin via unanimous decision in London on Saturday.

After winning what was his first non-title fight in 12, Joshua called out WBC heavyweight champion Fury, who recently saw negotiations over an undisputed bout with Usyk fall through.

However, Whyte – who was ringside for Joshua's victory at the O2 Arena – does not believe Fury will accept the fight, and he wants a chance to atone for a 2015 defeat against Joshua.

Asked why he believed a rematch could be on the cards, Whyte told Sky Sports: "It's a logical fight. Fury is not a person to negotiate with, because he'll mess you around.

"If he's being offered unified heavyweight champion [by Usyk] and not taking it, what is Joshua going to offer him to take the fight? Nothing.

"He's obviously seeing Joshua as way beneath him, the fight isn't going to happen. I don't know why they are wasting their time.

"There is someone here who is willing to fight and ready to go, but for some reason Joshua seems to – I don't know if it's a tactic of his – brush it under the carpet."

Joshua had lost three of his previous five fights ahead of his win over Franklin, and Whyte believes his rival has been scarred by those defeats.

"Maybe he just doesn't want to take risks anymore," he said of Joshua. "I don't know if it's money that has made him soft, or if it's the defeats. 

"Getting knocked out and getting outclassed, I think it's more that than money, to be honest."

Anthony Joshua put the ball in Tyson Fury's court after calling his rival out following victory over Jermaine Franklin.

A unanimous decision triumph against Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday brought an end to a two-fight losing streak for Joshua, who swiftly set his sights on a bigger opportunity.

Joshua's clash against Franklin was his first non-title fight in 12 bouts and, if he gets his way, will return to familiar ground next time out.

Fury and Joshua have negotiated for a 'Battle of Britain' clash in previous years without securing an agreement, but the 'Gypsy King's' failure to set up an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk has opened the door again.

With Usyk expected to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Fury's next move is not clear, and Joshua has issued his challenge.

"I know who the fans want… They said Fury. The ball is in his court," Joshua told DAZN in the ring after his win.

"I would 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. It would be an honour.

"Wherever you are, if you're listening, you know my management, you know my promoter. We've had dialect before, so let's continue and hopefully we can get this done sooner rather than later. We're not getting any younger.

"I can't wait to get back to Texas, to develop and push on. You know how one fight leads to another; I can't wait to get the next big fight."

Promising a new dawn against Franklin, Joshua fell short of expectations despite having the upper hand throughout, acknowledging he should have earned a stoppage.

"Someone else would knock him out, probably, but Jermaine has a good duck and dive style," he added.

"There were opportunities there but he knows how to tuck up. Respect to him, he done well, I respect him for that.

"Well done to him and his team for preparing. I should have knocked him out but what can I say now, it's done, onto the next."

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua's long-awaited bout could finally come this year and would be the "biggest heavyweight match in the world".

That was the message on Wednesday from Top Rank president Todd DuBoef, a key member of Fury's United States promotional team who wants to see the all-British clash in 2023.

Joshua faces Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, though speculation continues to swirl the former could face Fury after his undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk fell through.

Fury's promoter Hearn added fuel to the fire after expressing hopes of reviving negotiations with the entourage of Joshua, who DuBoef suggested would deserve a headline fight if he defeats Franklin.

"I've always said that that is the fight," DuBoef told Sky Sports.

"Both of them have great brands, huge fanbases, and fortunately both of them come from the UK, so it's wonderful that your country has been able to produce these incredible prizefighters.

"That fight is always there, and, to me, is the biggest heavyweight match in the world, because of the personalities and the stories."

Both camps have pointed the finger at each other after an April 29 meeting at Wembley between Fury and Usyk failed to come to fruition.

"The frustration is for all of us," DuBoef added on that bout. "All of us are frustrated, right?

"And I think timing has been an issue with trying to make this fight happen. I'm not going to say never, but I think we all want to see this unification, and we all have hope.

"But there was a timeline that was set up, and it just got ahead of everybody and it became very tight.

"Fortunately, there's always hope and an opportunity because I think both fighters really know that this is what the sport wants, and what they want."

While holding out hopes over the mouthwatering fight between Fury and Usyk, DuBoef says his client could even face both the Ukrainian and Joshua before the end of the year.

"That's the way we move," he continued. "We move with immediacy, and we move trying to figure out and get rationality to a situation.

"I think we've always wanted this fight for Fury and Joshua, and we've wanted to see Fury and Usyk, and Tyson has wanted that, and the Warrens, and we've worked hard in getting this done.

"I would love to see, and you've just laid out a great 2023 for the Fury side, if we could do Usyk and Joshua this year, it would be fantastic."

Anthony Joshua has challenged Tyson Fury to face him in order to redeem himself from the "letdown" of his heavyweight unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk falling through.

Talks between Fury and Usyk recently broke down after it had appeared the two would agree to fight later this year, as negotiations between Fury and Joshua had done prior to that.

However, ahead of his clash with American Jermaine Franklin on Saturday, Joshua offered Fury the opportunity to renegotiate as he believes the Gypsy King "needs" him.

"There's no better time to get Fury in the ring than now because he needs me to redeem himself from this circus. This letdown," Joshua said.

"He needs me so there's no better time than for him to call my name out and I'm someone that will take on any challenge."

Two-time heavyweight champion Joshua lost back-to-back fights to Usyk and is looking to get back on track with a win against Franklin at London's O2 Arena, which will be his first fight since 2015 that has not been contested with a world title on the line.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn recently said: "If the Usyk fight doesn't get made, our message to team Fury is that we'll make the fight now, for straight after the Franklin fight," though AJ did concede he believes Fury and Usyk will eventually come to an agreement. 

"It's not my position to slate or slag anyone off. I'm pretty sure [Fury v Usyk] will happen because I feel like there could potentially be a method to the madness," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"If, number one, I was in that position [and] didn't take that fight, how would people treat me?

"And number two, if I didn't take that fight what would Fury have to say about me? So I'm not going to stoop to that level.

"I respect everyone that steps into the ring. But I just sometimes think some people should watch their mouths a bit."

Tyson Fury has accused Oleksandr Usyk of being a "coward" and "running" away after a proposed heavyweight unification title fight collapsed.

WBC champion Fury and WBA, WBO and IBF world champion Usyk were due to step into the ring at Wembley on April 29.

A deal could not be agreed, though, with both parties unable to come to an agreement over terms for a purse split in the rematch clause.

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk pointed the finger at Fury for "putting so many obstacles in front of making the deal."

Mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois is instead seemingly next in line for Usyk, and Fury claims that is bout the Ukrainian wanted rather than facing him.

He said in a social media post on Thursday: "[You] tried all week to get out of it, begging for a rematch like a little girl. You got your rematch, then didn't even wanna fight at that.

"Always know that you was never man enough to tangle with the 'Gypsy King' ever in your life. You little 14-stone coward, and your full team know it as well, and all the lawyers have got the full information.

"Keep running. Fight [Daniel] Dubois at the Copper Box now, and always know that you or anybody else like you would never tangle with the Gypsy King!"

Anthony Joshua will not "sit around and wait" to enter discussions with Tyson Fury after the latter's proposed bout with Oleksandr Usyk fell through.

Usyk's camp confirmed on Wednesday that talks with Fury over a heavyweight unification bout at Wembley on April 29 had collapsed.

Fury's promoter Eddie Hearn later revealed he is hoping to revive negotiations with Joshua over an all-British showdown later this year.

But having failed to agree terms on a fight twice before, most recently at the end of last year, Joshua is not interested in more drawn-out discussions.

"I was supposed to fight him before I fought Usyk, the first time, and he pulled out due to his legal case, the arbitration, with [Deontay] Wilder," Joshua said. 

"Then we had the one for this December [when talks also broke down]. Will the fight with me and him get made? I don't know. 

"Look at all the s*** they are going through now with this Usyk stuff. It's just crazy. I don't publicise things, so it's actually good that people are starting to see what goes on.

"It's good that people can actually see the s*** that people have got to put up with to make a fight. But Me and Usyk got two successful fights done."

Joshua added: "I cannot say I am just going to sit around and wait for this geezer [Fury]. There are other great fights out there I can have. 

"Without Fury on my record I will not wake up tomorrow and regret my whole boxing career. If he is on it, I am on it, if he is not, he is not. Whatever."

Joshua is scheduled to meet Jermaine Franklin in London on April 1 as he looks to respond to back-to-back losses to Usyk.

Oleksandr Usyk's team doubt Tyson Fury ever wanted to fight the Ukrainian after talks over a heavyweight title clash broke down.

Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk raised the question after the two camps were unable to compromise on the financial details of the fight, such as any potential rematch purse split.

The pair were due to meet on April 29 at Wembley Stadium, having previously agreed to a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury.

Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, confirmed his client had pulled out after seemingly growing frustrated at Fury's continued demands.

In an interview with Sky Sports, promoter Krassyuk explained: "The Usyk side pulled out of further negotiations as the Fury side never had enough [and wanted] to pull everything and all rights to their side, I don't want to go into details as all negotiations were confidential, but I will tell you one thing, when a fighter doesn't want to fight he overprices himself knowing that the fight won't happen.

"They most likely forgot that Usyk is holding the majority of belts in the heavyweight division and Tyson just has one."

Fury only holds the WBC heavyweight title, after his trilogy victory over Deontay Wilder, whereas Usyk holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts after twice defeating Anthony Joshua.

Krassyuk added: "They claimed Tyson is a face and must have all the rights, but look at statistics on pay-per-view with Tyson vs Chisora and Usyk vs Chisora and then tell me who is who?"

Last year Fury's fight with Derek Chisora reportedly reached 500,000 pay-per-view sales, under half those supposedly made for when Usyk fought the same opponent in 2020.

A deadline of April 1 for the fight to be agreed had been set by WBA president Gilberto Mendoza, and this latest setback looks likely to put pay to any chance of the event being set before that date. 

Tyson Fury's heavyweight unification clash with Oleksandr Usyk is off after talks between the pair collapsed, according to reports. 

A fight date had been agreed for April 29 at Wembley Stadium with progress made in recent weeks after the pair had agreed to a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury.

However, the two sides have since been unable to match up on other key details such as a rematch purse split, with Ukrainian fighter Usyk now said to have shut down his training camp.

"No matter how much Usyk compromised, he was pushed for more," Usyk's manager Egis Klimas said, according to reporter Steve Kim.

WBA president Gilberto Mendoza previously set a deadline of April 1 for the fight to be agreed, with the latest setback likely to scupper any chance of reaching an agreement before that date. 

Usyk, who has the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, now looks set to return in June or July in a mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois. 

The 36-year-old was the undisputed champion at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight.

Back-to-back victories against Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and August 2022 saw him capture and retain the three belts.

Fury, who last fought Derek Chisora in December, holds the WBC heavyweight title. It is unclear who or when he will next fight. 

The Briton had previously announced he would be entering a social media blackout as he began training camp for the Usyk fight.

He had made numerous demands in order to make the fight happen and suggested his opponent only warranted 30 per cent of the total fight purse. 

Usyk had agreed to this proposal but also requested that Fury donate $1million to relief efforts in Ukraine.

The bout would have marked the first crowning of an undisputed heavyweight title in the four-belt era. 

Tyson Fury will have to train "extra hard" if a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk is set for April 29, his trainer SugarHill Steward admitted.

The two heavyweight champions have been exchanging barbs on social media in the push to secure a fight, which would see the crowning of first unified champion in the heavyweight division since 2000.

While it is widely reported that talks are progressing and terms are agreed, the fight is still yet to be officially announced – despite Fury saying publicly he wants to return to the ring next month.

That would result in a quick turnaround for the 34-year-old, who last fought in April 2022 against Dillian Whyte, but Steward is confident in the abilities of the Gypsy King.

"If that's what they agree on and that's what he wants to do, if he feels he can get ready for April 29 and fight Usyk then he'll just have to train extra hard for that," he told Sky Sports.

"It's a short bit of time, but I believe Tyson has the ability and the physical attributes to handle the situation."

Should the bout go ahead, Fury's plan, as always, will be to go for the knockout, Steward added: "The game plan is always a knockout.

"It's setting it up, using certain punches, certain movements to make your opponent move into that knockout punch.

"Good jabs set up knockouts. Every fight is adjustments and watching what your opponent does and making adjustments.

"It's not just one game plan ever. It's seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13. We're only doing 12 rounds, but you've got an extra one in the bag always."

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury until April 1 to agree to a heavyweight unification bout, the World Boxing Association (WBA) has said.

The pair are seeking to come to terms on a fight that would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.

Though discussions have appeared close to producing a resolution on several occasions, changes in demands from both camps have prolonged the process.

With time running out to meet the provisional April 29 fight date pencilled in for Wembley Stadium, the WBA has now issued a final deadline.

"March 10 was the deadline for the initial negotiations granted by the WBA," a WBA statement read.

"After the WBA announced the situation, Usyk and Fury’s teams contacted each other to inform that the pact was on its way and that the fight was going to take place.

"Now, the WBA has given them this new deadline that expires on April 1 and hopes that the fight can take place, since it is what the fans are asking for and what the whole boxing world is waiting for."

The WBA has held off on issuing Usyk with a mandatory fight against Daniel Dubois. Usyk holds the 'super' champion belt while Dubois is the 'regular' champion.

Usyk and Fury's potential fight has dominated the sport across the first few months of 2023, with the pair trading barbs as they seek to hammer out a deal.

The Ukrainian last fought in August, when he defended his titles against Anthony Joshua in their rematch, while Briton Fury completed his trilogy with Derek Chisora in December, winning with a 10th-round knockout.

Joe Joyce is ready to step in and face either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk if the pair cannot settle on the terms of their heavyweight unification bout.

Fury, the WBC title-holder, and Usyk, who possesses the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF crowns, have been seeking to agree terms for a fight on April 29.

Negotiations have stalled on multiple occasions however, while the pair have sparred verbally throughout, though it appears Fury will now take a 70-30 purse split.

WBO interim heavyweight champion Joyce, who is arguably the strongest mandatory challenger to either man, would be happy to square off if a deal falls through, though he would prefer to face an ultimate winner.

"It's [been] kind of dragging on a bit," he told Sky Sports' Toe2Toe podcast. "Fury's got 70 per cent [so] I guess it's happening now.

"He's started camp, [and] I would imagine Usyk's already in camp. Maybe he knows something we don't. Possibly, [I could fight one of them]. I guess it's a good back-up plan."

Reiterating he would prefer to wait though, the Briton added: "That would be something, wouldn't it? There's been a lot of rematch clauses of late. They drag on, don't they?

"It's quite refreshing to hear that there isn't one for this fight. I can jump in afterwards [and] fight the winner. I'm confident in my abilities and I think it would be a great fight against either of them."

On a preferred opponent, Joyce admitted an all-British clash thrilled him, adding: "I really like the sound of the Fury fight. Can you imagine? Undisputed has a nice ring to it."

Tyson Fury is "scared" to face Oleksandr Usyk after challenging the Ukrainian to "up the ante", promoter Alexander Krassyuk has claimed.

A late turnaround in the past week saw talks reignite between the two heavyweight champions, sparking fresh hope for a fiercely anticipated unification bout.

Usyk took to social media to accept a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury, with the WBA stating on Friday it had been informed of an agreement.

Wembley is expected to be the venue for the bout, with April 29 a proposed date, and Fury has now urged his rival to make the fight a one-off event.

Posting a video on social media, he said: "I've been speaking to the lawyers, and Usyk's people have been talking about rematch clauses and all that.

"Here's one to up the ante – how about there is no rematch clause for both of us? Let's up the ante completely.

"Never worry about what's in the future or how many more dollars you can get after you've been defeated. Worry about the fight.

"No rematch clause. Winner takes the glory, the loser goes home. How about that? Agree to that."

However, Usyk's promoter Krassyuk accused Fury of being "scared" with his latest demand and suggested the 'Gypsy King' is looking for a way to pull out of a fight.

"As Usyk said, the greedy belly is still hoping to find a way to pull out. We knew before and know it now," he told talkSPORT. "As soon as Usyk accepts a no-rematch clause, there will still be searching for another thing to find and pull out the fight.

"I tell you why. He bluffed and Usyk called his bluff. This is 100 per cent. He didn't expect Usyk to accept [a 70-30 split].

"He was not in a training camp, and we saw the next morning the theatrical performance that he was pretending to jog and fight someone in the ring.

"It's all about nothing. He's not prepared and scared to fight. He will try to find a way to avoid Usyk for as long as possible.

"We don't trust him, we don't believe him. One more thing to know, when we started the negotiations, Fury's side was the first to ask for the rematch. Fury were the first to ask for the rematch, and we supported this."

Tyson Fury deserves credit for not "ducking" any opponent and agreeing to face off against the best fighters, according to his promoter Frank Warren.

An eleventh-hour agreement is reported to have been reached for a fiercely anticipated unification bout between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

It seemed a deal would not be agreed, with figures from both camps hinting at an imminent collapse in talks last week, before Usyk publicly offered a 70-30 purse split in Fury's favour.

That got the wheels moving again, with the WBA confirming it had been assured of a deal, before Warren confirmed over the weekend the fight was on – and hailed Fury for going toe-to-toe with the best in his era.

"Everyone wants to see the fight. Everybody should take their hat off to Tyson Fury because he's the only heavyweight since going back to those great glory days of Ali, Foreman and Frazier that has fought the best around of the generations he's been in," he told talkSPORT.

"He's fought against [Wladimir] Klitschko, who was the best of his generation, went to his backyard and beat him. The longest reigning heavyweight in Deontay Wilder – went to the states not once but three times and beat him.

"Now he's stepping up to the guy who has had two wins over Joshua and has three belts.

"You have to take your hat off to Tyson, we talk about Lennox Lewis, but he never fought Riddick Bowe, never fought Mike Tyson until he was well past his best. I'd not taking anything away from Lennox, he was a great fighter. Tyson has fought all these guys at their best.

"Once we get it all finalised… it's great. It's the first time four belts have been on the line. It's the biggest heavyweight fight in goodness knows how many years.

"Both are undefeated and both in their prime. It will be a fantastic event and the highest grossing event ever to take place at Wembley, beating the previous one. I'm not talking about boxing but a one-off event. The previous one was last April again with Tyson.

"He's a megastar and I'm delighted for him. People should acknowledge in him, we've got a fighter who doesn't duck anybody."