Anthony Joshua insists Tyson Fury has not gained his respect yet.
Both heavyweight fighters are believed to have signed a mega two-fight deal in what will be one of boxings biggest ever matches.
Anthony Joshua – Instagram
Joshua and Fury recently bumped into each other in Marbella
Joshua won back his WBA, IBF & WBO titles when he overcame Andy Ruiz Jr last December, while Fury beat Deontay Wilder for the WBC championship in February.
Speaking on a Sky YouTube broadcast, Joshua admitted he does not find Fury intimidating.
He said: If the sport is lacking so much talent, it shows that all you need is feints and a bit of movement to be called a great.
“I wonder what people see in Fury that is so intimidating that he cant be touched?
“When you are willing to challenge the best in the division Wladimir Klitschko was his first real challenge and he won that.
“That took him eight years to get there – from the amateurs to there. Then he had years out and fought Wilder.
“But he has not been in the deep end to prove that he can swim there for a long time, you dont just come there once or twice, you have to do it repeatedly against championship level fighters, that is how you gain my respect.”
Fury knocked out Wilder in the seventh round of their rematch in February
Joshua won back his world titles at the end of 2019
Joshua and Fury met in person for the first time in several years as they came face-to-face in Marbella last weekend.
And AJ says there is nothing to lose ahead of their highly-anticipated fight.
He added: “I bumped into Fury the other day, it was random, that is the first thing we speak about when we see each other – are we fighting?
“It has to happen, we are both heavyweights in this era. I am keen, I am all up for the big fun nights and creating history.
“There is nothing to lose from us getting in the ring. We should just get in and get cracking and give everyone a great night of boxing again.
“We fight for the good nights and the competition, we want to fight the best.
“Theres nothing to lose from this, fighting the best is what it is all about.