Tyson Fury claims Anthony Joshua was ‘pulled out’ of their infamous sparring session after ‘turning away’

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are on a collision course.

Providing Fury beats Polish veteran Mariusz Wach on Friday in Thailand and Joshua overcomes little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga a day later in Saudi Arabia, plans have been hatched for the pair to meet in late 2026.

Getty

While fans have been waiting a decade to see the Brits finally lock horns, it won’t mark the first time they have traded leather.

Back in 2010, long before either man had carved out their glittering résumés, Fury and Joshua sparred at Finchley Boxing Club.

Fury admitted at the time that Joshua put a “beating” on him for three rounds before he rallied with an onslaught to the body.

When asked to recollect the spar by BoxingScene out in Pattaya, Thailand on Wednesday, his memory was a little more hazy.

However, he insists that Joshua was pulled out in round four after “turning away”.

Tyson Fury recalls Anthony Joshua sparring session

“He was an amateur boxer, and I was a pro, maybe 10-0 or something, so there wasn’t much to think about,” said Fury.

“There was [sic] a lot of people there, so there was [sic] a lot of witnesses there.

“I remember him putting his legs up in the ropes after about three rounds, turning away in the corner…

“I’ve sparred maybe 400 or 500 heavyweights; I don’t remember much of any of them really.

“The vivid memory I do have of it, though, is in about round three, he started putting legs up, and in round four he started putting his knees up in the corner, and I was like ‘What the f*** is this?’

GETTY

“Then they pulled him out and put somebody else in.”

Fury didn’t mention Joshua being pulled out when he spoke to BBC Radio London a few weeks after the spar.

Tyson Fury’s recollection at the time

“He’s red hot, him, he’s very good. To be honest with you, I thought to myself, ‘I’m only going to take it easy as he’s an amateur and we probably won’t spar again if I go mad’,” said Fury in 2010.

“He’s rushed out at me, he threw a one-two and a left hook, and I slipped. I thought, ‘He’s not that good, I’m going to take my time.’

“Then, bash, he gives me a big uppercut right on the point of the chin.

“If I’d have had a bit of a weak chin like David Price, I’d have been knocked out for a month.

Getty

“He’s very, very good and he’s only young, 20, watch out for that name Anthony Joshua, he is one prospect for the future.

“He came out at me for three rounds, and he gave me a beating – I’m not going to deny it, he gave me hell for leather for three rounds.

“I thought ‘Oh my god, an amateur is killing me.’ Being a professional, and I’ve been an amateur myself and fought all over the world, I slowed him down a bit with a few good body shots.

“The kid’s only 20, and I’m a handful myself, so for him to put up a good performance like that against a top prospect in me, I think he’s one for the future.”

What did Anthony Joshua say about sparring Tyson Fury?

In 2016, AJ gave his own version of events.

“I used to read the Boxing News religiously, like I still do. In the magazine I remember reading, ‘Tyson Fury‘s going around different gyms sparring, and if anyone can knock him out, they get to keep his Rolex,'” Joshua told Sky Sports.

“I’m hungry. I’m still hungry now; if you know me, I’m hungry.

“I was hungrier back then. Those assets and stuff were so far out of reach to me.

Anthony Joshua - Instagram

“So I remember him popping in the gym, and then coach says, ‘Alright Josh, you’re sparring.’

“I didn’t really know who Tyson Fury was, but in the boxing gym, there’s no word called ‘no’.

“So I just got my headguard on, gum shield in and we just cracked on and me and him just had a straight war.

“So what I learned about Fury is that we’ve got the same heart, we’re both fighting people and we go to war.

“I didn’t manage to knock him out, we both hit each other with some big shots, powerful shots.

“He put the interview out there I think after that fight, years ago, predicting, he said, ‘Watch out for this kid, he’ll be heavyweight champion of the world one day.’

“And he got his prediction right.”

Watch Boxing on DAZN

*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue

Sign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.

Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.

Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.

Click here to sign up.