JAMES DeGale has revealed the prospect of seeing Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title fight against Wladimir Klitschko does not “excite” him because of a preference to see him fight “real champ” Tyson Fury.
Their match-up at Wembley Stadium on April 29, for Joshua’s IBF title and the WBA belt Fury recently vacated, is expected to attract a British post-war record fight crowd of around 90,000.
It features one of the finest heavyweight champions in history challenging another expected to prove himself the best of the coming era, but for all that DeGale considers Joshua the world’s leading active heavyweight, he cannot ignore the shadow Fury casts over their fight.
Fury vacated his WBA and WBO titles in October to deal with his “medical treatment and recovery” after struggling with mental health problems, but before then inflicted Klitschko’s first defeat for 11 years in 2015.
DeGale also believes that result will undermine the victory he expects Joshua to achieve in April.
“Everyone’s making a big deal out of the fight; it’s a good fight but Klitschko lost his last fight to Fury, the real champ is Fury,” DeGale, who on January 14 in New York fights Badou Jack in an IBF and WBC super-middleweight unification title fight, said.
“It doesn’t really excite me. I want to see it but I’d rather Anthony Joshua box Fury, that’s all.
“Anthony Joshua’s the man, a beast, he’s the best heavyweight in the world now.
“I didn’t mean to put the fight down, just I’d rather see Joshua fight the real champ. Anthony Joshua is a beast, he’s a very good fighter, and is going to go on to be a superstar.”
Asked if Fury’s win over Klitschko would reduce the credit Joshua may receive in the event of victory, he responded: “I think it is watered down, I think it will be. [But] I expect Joshua to stop Klitschko, and look good in doing it.”
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