ANTHONY JOSHUA once warned Tyson Fury that he would "break his head" within six rounds, but respected him for being a "good family man."
The heavyweight star verbally agreed to a two-fight deal for him in 2021, but that deal infamously fell apart.
The Battle of Britain was the talk of the town at the time. AJ was questioned about Fury while appearing on Sky's sports "A League of Their Own."
He said: "I have a lot of respect for this man. He is a good family man and a good fighter. But on the other hand, I want to break his head.
The pair were due to battle in the first-ever four-belt undisputed match last August.
However, 34-year-old Fury was instead ordered to fight his trilogy against 36-year-old Deontay Wilder as a result of an arbitration hearing.
He came out victorious in round 11 , two weeks before he lost to Joshua, 32, to his 35-year-old Olesksandr Usyk. Hopes for unity were dashed.
AJ is currently in a rematch with Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, while Fury announced his April after he defeated Dillian White, 34. He has since announced his retirement.
There is still hope that if Joshua wins they will bring back Fury as the undisputed decider.
And his AJ, who came very close to a deal last year, had no doubt he had an idea of how the fight would go.
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At the time, he said: “The first six rounds, I think, I know I'm going to take him out then. I've been in longer and deeper, so I believe that if I deal with the pressure, I can bring him out.
"Fury draws first, then readjusts the game plan and takes Wilder out." , really educated him, but I think I'm faster than Wilder anyway.Call me whatever you like.I believe I'm better." 41}
