WBC champion Tyson Fury believes fellow Brit Joe Joyce is "the second-best heavyweight in the world" and suggested the two could meet in the ring in the future.

Joyce's stunning 11th-round knockout victory over Joseph Parker at the weekend led to talk of him fighting the likes of Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Parker had not been stopped in his 32 previous bouts, despite defeats to heavy-handed fighters such as Joshua and Dillian Whyte, and Joyce's win certainly impressed Fury.

"I've had a lovely day of watching boxing and watching all the big fights and studying all the heavyweights," Fury said in a video on Twitter.

"And I've got to say that big Joe Joyce is the second-best heavyweight in the world, behind myself.

"I've just looked at these prospects who are mandatory for the world title, Zhang [Zhilei] and [Filip] Hrgovic and everybody else. I've changed my mind and I think big Joe Joyce is number two heavyweight in the world."

Fury initially claimed to be retired after stopping Whyte inside six rounds at Wembley in April, but has since been rumoured to be in talks to fight the likes of Dereck Chisora and Manuel Charr.

The undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk is on hold until 2023, with the IBF, WBA and WBO champion needing time to recover from injuries after beating Joshua in their rematch in Saudi Arabia.

Fury himself has been involved in a public spat with Joshua, but it appears any plans for those two to fight later in 2022 are over after Joshua failed to meet Fury's deadline for signing the contracts.

And Fury has not ruled out facing Joyce in future, adding: "Who knows if he's number one? One day we'll have to find out who's better out of me and him.

"But at the moment I'm ruling the roost because I'm world heavyweight champion and he's not."

Deontay Wilder claims he has unfinished business with Tyson Fury and hopes to face the WBC heavyweight champion for a fourth time in the future.

Wilder is the only fighter to avoid defeat against Fury in the 34-year-old's professional career, doing so in a draw in December 2018.

However, the 'Bronze Bomber' then suffered two defeats to Fury – the most recent an 11th-round stoppage in October 2021 – and he still hopes for a chance to avenge those losses.

"I think that there's definitely a chance of a fourth fight again," Wilder told Sky Sports. "Boxing is a business. Many people call it a sport, but it's not a sport.

"The heavyweight division is very small. I'm still a big fish in the business, especially here in America. 

"As long as we're all in the same division and all still currently fighting, why not? It only can lead to that. With all that being said, it's definitely a possibility."

Wilder, who has not fought since that second defeat to Fury, will meet Robert Helenius in an eliminator next month and may yet face further bouts in his bid to return to title contention.

However, Oleksandr Usyk, who won and then retained the WBO, WBA and IBF belts with two victories over Anthony Joshua, has floated the idea of offering Wilder a championship fight – a proposition the 36-year-old would welcome.

"I heard about the Usyk situation, and he's going to be there. I hold Usyk to be a man of his word," Wilder said.

"If Usyk's saying he wants to give me an opportunity for the titles then that's what I'm holding his word to. I always tell people that I don't look past fighters, but I do look through them, there's nothing wrong with that, being confident in yourself and looking ahead once this chapter is closed.

"I've got to handle business at the end of the day. Without handling business then nothing else is moving forward. I'm taking it one fight at a time. I'm taking it all in, one day at a time. 

"Once I've accomplished and finished what I have to do with Robert, then I'll move on, and I'll be looking forward to the next challenge, whether it's Usyk or whether it's anybody else."

Meanwhile, Fury appeared set to face Joshua in December after reversing his decision to retire, although he has since claimed the fight was off after weeks of back-and-forth discussions.

Despite Joshua losing three of his last five fights, Wilder believes he can rectify issues with his fighting style, adding: "I just think Joshua was very cautious in what he did as far as exchanging punches [against Usyk]. I always said it: as I see it, he has a big stamina problem.

"I think if he can correct that, I think you will see a different Joshua. You won't see one that's so hesitant to throw punches and do things.

"I think he was just a little fearful of running out of gas too quick and too fast, and he held back a little bit."

Tyson Fury says December's proposed bout with Anthony Joshua is "officially over" due to the contract not being signed by Monday's self-imposed deadline.

WBC champion Fury opened the door for a 'Battle of Britain' with Joshua after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.

However, following drawn-out talks between the fighters' camps, Fury declared last week that Joshua had until 17:00 BST on Monday to put pen to paper on the terms.

That deadline came and went without any official confirmation, and Fury once again took to social media shortly after to declare the heavyweight fight will not be taking place.

"It's official. D-Day has come and gone," he said in a video message on his Instagram account. "It's gone past 5 o'clock Monday, no contract has been signed. It's officially over. 

"Joshua is now out in the cold with the wolfpack. Forget about it. Idiot, coward, s***house, bodybuilder. Always knew you didn't have the minerals to fight the Gypsy King. 

"Regardless of what you say now, I don't really care. Good luck with your career and your life, end of."

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties were "working positively" to reach an agreement.

That led to Fury making his ultimatum to Joshua to sign the contract by Monday or forget about a fight that has been years in the making.

In response, two-time world champion Joshua – who has lost three of his past five fights – said he fully intended to sign the deal, but it was currently with his legal team.

Should Fury be true to his word, the 34-year-old could look to arrange a title defence against Mahmoud Charr in the same December slot ahead of facing Usyk next year.

Anthony Joshua has made it clear he will sign the contract for a bout against Tyson Fury on December 3.

The 'Battle of Britain' clash seemed to be at risk of a collapse after Fury issued a Monday deadline for an agreement to be signed but AJ's promoter Eddie Hearn ruled out such swift action.

That raised concerns that the fiercely anticipated bout could fall through, with Fury threatening to walk away and fight someone else.

Joshua has now moved to calm such fears in a video posted on social media, expressing his intent to sign the agreement.

"I've been signing contracts for years. It ain't in my hands, it is with the legal team, that's why you hire lawyers. You know the history of boxing, make sure you get your legal terms right," he said.

"That's why you have good management and good lawyers. Of course I'm going to sign the contract, it's just with some lawyers at the minute."

A fight between Fury and Joshua would likely set the heavyweight scene for 2023, with the winner then poised to face off against Oleksandr Usyk in a unification bout.

Joe Joyce's victory against Joseph Parker in Manchester on Sunday has set the Brit as the mandatory challenger for Usyk's WBO title, though he may have to wait for his shot.

Eddie Hearn says there is "no chance" a contract for an all-British heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will be signed by Monday.

WBC champion Fury on Saturday warned Joshua he will "move on to fight someone else" if Joshua does not agree terms that have been offered at the start of next week.

December 3 has been pencilled in as a date for the English duo to do battle in what would be a mouth-watering and long-awaited bout.

Hearn, Joshua's promoter, says Fury must be patient as there is no way a deal will be struck so quickly.

He said on the Seconds Out YouTube channel: "There is no chance this fight will get signed by Monday. There is no need for this fight to get signed by Monday.

"If he doesn't [want to fight Joshua], and I guess he doesn't, then he'll do what he'll do and the fans might even fall for it."

Hearn this week stated the first offer from the Fury camp was not acceptable, but "positive conversations" had taken place between the two parties.

He revealed Fury will be fighting Joshua if he is realistic with his deadline.

"We have a meeting on Monday, with DAZN, with BT, with everybody, but it's going to take time," added Hearn. "If he wants to put a time frame on it of Monday then it’s clear to the whole public he doesn't want the fight.

"It's not going to get signed on Monday so if he's walking away on Monday the fight's off."

Tyson Fury has warned Anthony Joshua he will "move on" if the contract for a fight in December is not signed by Monday.

A 'Battle of Britain' bout has risen to the top of the agenda following Fury presenting an offer to AJ after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.

Joshua accepted terms for the bout but official confirmation has not yet arrived, with an apparent delay in the 2012 Olympian putting pen to paper on a deal.

That has led Fury to concede he is not optimistic about the fight taking place and made it clear he is happy to move on to fight someone else.

"They've had the opportunity to agree to this fight for about a month I'd say," he said ringside at Joseph Parker's fight against Joe Joyce in Manchester.

"They've had the contract for over a week, still not signed, still a few more excuses they're gonna come back with.

"We'll know more on Monday I think, the two broadcasters are gonna meet on Monday and then we'll know from there. If it's not done by Monday then I'm moving on.

"I'm not waiting around for some guy who's lost three of his last five fights, he's lucky that I'm giving him a world title shot.

"I'm sick of setting deadlines. They either want this poxy fight or they don't. I was just saying to somebody else before I don't mind inviting these people to my party but they're not gonna come to my party, my banquet, and try and dictate to me.

"They either wanna do it or they don't. And if they wanna do it, sign the contract, and if they don't, do one.

"This is the fight that I've been trying to make since 2017, and I've been unsuccessful every single time. I was optimistic three or four weeks ago that the fight might happen. Today, I'm not very optimistic.

"I'm definitely fighting on December 3, whoever it may be I don't really care."

Tyson Fury claimed Anthony Joshua does not want to fight him as he unleashed a barrage of abuse on his fellow Brit.

Negotiations are ongoing over a mouthwatering world heavyweight title bout between WBC champion Fury and Joshua on December 3.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, stated this week that an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties are "working positively" to try and reach an agreement.

Fury on Friday made it clear he does not believe two-time world champion Joshua has any intention of stepping into the ring with him.

He stated in a video posted on social media: "He's had the contract for I don’t know how long and ain’t signing it. You little sausage, you do not want a fight.

"However, I will be fighting on December 3, if this sausage does not sign this contract, which I don't think he is because I don't think he’s got the b******s to."

The unbeaten Fury also took aim at WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, who stated his intention to "outbox" the Englishman if they meet in a unification fight.

Fury added: "Usyk, you little s***house, I'm afraid of you? I'll put my fist right through the side of you, you little sausage.

"Joshua is a s***house, Usyk a s***house. You are all s***houses."

Oleksandr Usyk plans to have "three more fights at the very most" before retiring, including a heavyweight unification bout with Tyson Fury.

The 35-year-old holds the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts after defeating Anthony Joshua for a second time in last month's rematch.

Usyk's split-decision victory over Joshua in Saudi Arabia was supposed to clear the way for a unification bout with Fury for all the belts in the sport’s blue-riband division.

However, with Usyk ruling out a return to the ring this year, Fury is now in advanced talks with Joshua over a 'Battle of Britain' showdown in December.

Usyk is hopeful of facing Fury down the line, with super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez also on his list of targets before ending his career on home soil in Kyiv.

"I can have three more fights at the very most," Usyk said in an interview posted on his YouTube page. 

"It is the most realistic to be in my top form. With Fury, Canelo and a farewell fight at Olympiyskiy.

"With Canelo he said that he wanted to fight me. It would be a freak fight just for the sake of earning money.

"I only need to beat Fury and then it is time to retire for me. The unification of all the belts is much more important than just a fight or another defence.

"I want to outbox Fury and I don't want to work that much just for another defence. There is much more that I can achieve."

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion after claiming victory in the final fight in his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas last weekend.

The weight disparity between Usyk and Canelo makes any bout difficult to arrange, but the latter confirmed last month he is interested in facing the Ukrainian.

"It's difficult but I don't care," he said. "I like that type of challenge. I don't care. It's going to be difficult I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that type of situation."

Oleksandr Usyk plans to have "three more fights at the very most" before retiring, including a heavyweight unification bout with Tyson Fury.

The 35-year-old holds the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts after defeating Anthony Joshua for a second time in last month's rematch.

Usyk's split-decision victory over Joshua in Saudi Arabia was supposed to clear the way for a unification bout with Fury for all the belts in the sport’s blue-riband division.

However, with Usyk ruling out a return to the ring this year, Fury is now in advanced talks with Joshua over a 'Battle of Britain' showdown in December.

Usyk is hopeful of facing Fury down the line, with super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez also on his list of targets before ending his career on home soil in Kyiv.

"I can have three more fights at the very most," Usyk said in an interview posted on his YouTube page. 

"It is the most realistic to be in my top form. With Fury, Canelo and a farewell fight at Olympiyskiy.

"With Canelo he said that he wanted to fight me. It would be a freak fight just for the sake of earning money.

"I only need to beat Fury and then it is time to retire for me. The unification of all the belts is much more important than just a fight or another defence.

"I want to outbox Fury and I don't want to work that much just for another defence. There is much more that I can achieve."

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion after claiming victory in the final fight in his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas last weekend.

The weight disparity between Usyk and Canelo makes any bout difficult to arrange, but the latter confirmed last month he is interested in facing the Ukrainian.

"It's difficult but I don't care," he said. "I like that type of challenge. I don't care. It's going to be difficult I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that type of situation."

Eddie Hearn says there is "a long way to go" before an agreement is reached for Anthony Joshua to fight Tyson Fury but "positive conversations" have taken place.

Fury offered terms to Joshua's camp following his compatriot's second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last month, when the former Olympic champion failed to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO belts back from the Ukrainian.

A provisional December 3 date has been pencilled in for a blockbuster all-British bout and Hearn, Joshua's promoter, says progress has been made with talks after an initial offer from the Fury camp was turned down.

"It's not unusual to get a contract that you're not over the moon with - and it wasn't that they were playing games or anything like that," he told ID Boxing.

"It's just really down to the format of the agreement, which is being rectified and we're working positively to try and get that in the right shape and I think we're nearly there in terms of the format of that agreement.

"[The contract] wasn't really as we expected, but that was a few days ago and we've had some positive conversations. Reshaping that slightly, which seems to be positive.

"We've still got a long way to go. Obviously, the broadcasters have got to have their discussion. There's not a lot more to tell you other than both teams are doing everything they can to try and find a way to make it happen."

George Warren, the son of Joshua's UK promoter Frank Warren, hopes further progress can be made in talks this week.

He told Sky Sports: "We're still talking. Everything at the moment is very amicable.

"We're having fresh conversations this week. We're hoping that we're going to move forward. We're all working hard to make it happen.

"I'm not going to put a timeline on it. We need realistically to know what we're doing, what Tyson's doing. There's no ifs, buts or maybes, Tyson's fighting the end of this year.

"Timetable-wise, timescale-wise, for both fighters it looks like it could work. Everything's very amicable, everything's going okay so far and fingers crossed we get some good news for British fight fans very soon."

Anthony Joshua believes a bout with Tyson Fury in December is his "only chance" to face off against the Gypsy King, promoter Eddie Hearn has said.

Fury has offered terms to his compatriot for a bout in December, with the WBC belt on the line, for a fight long hailed as the 'Battle of Britain'.

A bout has been a long time coming, with an agreement in place for the pair to fight in Saudi Arabia last year before a court ordered Fury to honour his rematch with Deontay Wilder, who he subsequently beat in Las Vegas.

However, hopes of a unified clash with Joshua were ended by AJ's defeat to Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, who then won the rematch with his fellow 2012 Olympic gold medallist last month.

That appeared to spell an end for Joshua at the summit of the heavyweight game, at least temporarily, but Fury has moved swiftly to offer an opportunity to his rival – with Hearn explaining Joshua's thinking is that this is his only shot.

"He thinks: this is my only chance, because if he fights Usyk, win or lose I think he'll retire or you never know with Fury, he could just never fight again," he told Sky Sports.

"The reason he accepts these terms is he feels this is the only chance he'll get to fight Tyson Fury. So, therefore, okay, it would have been better to come off a victory but we're here and [Joshua thinks] I can beat him and I feel good.

"When he drew to [Deontay] Wilder, we offered Fury the fight against AJ and we offered him 60-40 and he said no and he said I'll only take 50-50.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to push back on some of the terms. But in the end it was AJ who overruled and said no just accept it. He's always believed he can beat him."

The next step to scheduling the fight is the signing of the contracts and, while Hearn perceives no issues with that, he is still wary as to whether Fury is genuine.

"Broadcasters need to have their discussions. Which I don't think will be a problem. It's actually not that complicated," he added.

"If they're genuine and George  [Warren] tells me they are, then I think the fight will get made. I think George feels his instructions are to make the fight. But you just never know with Tyson Fury. Is this a ploy to speed up the Usyk fight, get more money from a site?

"It might have been a bluff, or a bit of publicity that actually turns into it happening. Or maybe it was genuine from the start. It could be anything. That's a sceptical view but right now I'm going along the lines of I believe him because I want to be positive and work together to make it happen."

Whether or not it is Fury that Joshua faces off against, Hearn has made it clear AJ will return to the ring before the end of the year.

"We've been looking at opponents for AJ for December and his list is very different to my list. So I don't think he's interested in opponents that he's just going to get no credit or respect for. Straight away when I asked him about this fight, he went, 'Let's do it'," he explained.

"He hasn't got any major injuries or anything like that. They want to do it. I think he's coming off a decent performance," the promoter added. "He just fancies the fight and fancies his chances. He's willing to roll the dice."

Anthony Joshua may have needed "two or three" more fights to prepare for Tyson Fury, but his trainer Robert Garcia acknowledged he could not turn down a "big fight".

Garcia joined Joshua's corner to work alongside co-trainer Angel Fernandez before the second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, who successfully defended his belts in a rematch in Saudi Arabia in August.

The split-decision victory for Usyk had led to expectations of a title unification bout with Fury – but it will be Joshua who faces his compatriot after seemingly accepting terms for a clash on December 3.

The WBC heavyweight title will be on the line after Fury refused to wait to meet Usyk next year, but Garcia would have preferred for the all-British fight to take place at a later date.

"Look, it's a huge fight, it's the biggest fight in the UK and it's a fight that actually needs to happen sooner rather than later," Garcia told iD Boxing.

"Would I prefer it to happen two, three fights from now? Yes, but it's a big fight and it's a big business.

"His management team is very smart when it comes to negotiations and the final decisions, so they'll make the right decision. Personally, I'm not a businessman, I'd rather him take two or three fights before anything huge.

"Anthony took the rematch with Usyk right away, when he could have easily taken two or three fights before that. He took it right away because he wants those challenges too.

"If this challenge is there and he wants to take it, he'll take it. He'll go out and train and we'll do our best job to go out there and win. The fight won't be easy but is it winnable? Yes, we could win that fight."

Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, while Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.

With a 'Battle of Britain' on the horizon, Garcia encouraged Joshua to take a trip to the United States for a training camp in a bid to boost his chances of dethroning Fury.

"I haven't talked to him [Joshua] about it [training in the USA], I talked to the management team," Garcia continued. "They all said they would like that, but at the end of the day, it's going to be his decision.

"I think he would do so much better, honestly, training around Jesse Rodriguez, Jose Ramirez and all the young talent that I have. It's not only that he's going to train with them, he's going to compete with them.

"They're going to train together, they're going to push each other and they all want to be better than the other. I think that would help a lot – I would love that."

Tyson Fury's long-awaited bout with Anthony Joshua is '90 per cent' finalised, according to promoter Frank Warren, who says "everybody wants it to happen".

Fury has made a series of U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and originally sought a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia last month.

However, the Ukrainian's reluctance to fight before the end of 2022 led Fury to offer Joshua the chance to face off for the WBC heavyweight belt.

On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 revealed the terms of the fight had been agreed last week, only for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to delay confirmation.

Warren, who handles Fury's fights, says there is still work to be done on the bout – which will seemingly take place on December 3 – but does not anticipate any issues.

"The contracts are on their way," Warren told talkSPORT on Wednesday. "I'm not going into great detail about this, because we saw what happened last time around with people making statements and so forth, and it all fell apart.

"This fight won't be on until it's signed, but everybody wants it to happen. 

"The basis of the deal, 90 per cent of what counts, is okay, 10 per cent we've got to sort out. There aren't any obstacles in the way, so hopefully very quickly we can get it over the line. 

"When you're a promoter, you're an optimist. That's what you do. You're in the business of trying to make events happen, so we're all excited by it. 

"I'm excited about it as a fight, because I always felt that Tyson has the beating of AJ, and now we're going to find out if we get this over the line."

While Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.

Anthony Joshua's management team says he has accepted terms to fight Tyson Fury on December 3.

Fury had originally wanted to face Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia in August – in a title unification bout, but the Ukrainian does not want to compete again until 2023, and Fury intends to fight before the end of the year.

That led to the Gypsy King going public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushed to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.

On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 announced that, along with Matchroom Boxing, the terms had been accepted, but negotiations had been postponed following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

They tweeted: "258 and Matchroom Boxing can confirm, on behalf of Anthony Joshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury's team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.

"Due to the Queen's passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response."

Fury's promoter Frank Warren later replied on Twitter, writing: "Contract will be with you very soon."

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn previously declared his fighter had accepted a proposed deal for the bout, with a 60-40 split in favour of Fury.

Fury had said his team secured provisional dates with Wembley Stadium and the Principality Stadium.

The US promoter of Tyson Fury is unsure if Anthony Joshua and his camp want an all-British heavyweight fight, despite supposedly agreeing to initial terms.

Fury had wanted to face Oleksandr Usyk in a title unification bout but the latter does not want to compete again until 2023, and Fury intends to fight before the end of the year.

That led to the Gypsy King going public with his proposal to Joshua as he pushes to set up a 'Battle of Britain' clash with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line before the end of 2022.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn declared his fighter had accepted a proposed deal for a bout with Fury on Wednesday, with a 60-40 split in favour of Fury.

Fury also said on Wednesday his team had secured provisional dates for Wembley and Cardiff, with Hearn suggesting December 17 as a good option for the bout.

However, speaking to Sky Sports, Fury's US promoter Bob Arum raised doubts about the sincerity of Joshua's camp in wanting the fight.

"I really don't think Joshua's people are anxious to make the fight now," Arum said. "Because he's come through a devastating loss and I think, conventionally, Joshua is going to want a couple of soft touches to get back in the swing of things.

"Our guy, Tyson Fury, wants to fight this year. I tried to see if we could get Usyk this year and apparently they don't want to do it until February.

"We're going to try to get an opponent for Tyson Fury – Joshua or somebody else – and make sure he gets in the ring this year.

"Eddie Hearn is just talking. Eddie Hearn, if he wanted to make the fight, he knows me well enough and knows I'm over here – he knows the Warrens. We haven't really heard from Eddie Hearn; he's really good at making statements to the press and television, but he's not – I don't think – anxious to make this fight."

Joshua is coming off a second defeat to Usyk, losing on split decision to the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last month, and Arum believes the Brit would not want to take on Fury at this time.

"I've been in boxing a long time and the fact that Eddie and Joshua would want this fight is, to me, incomprehensible. It makes no sense," he added.

"If I'm wrong and they decide they want it, they know where to find us and call, and stop talking to the press and talk to us and see if we can put it together."