Tyson Fury: It will be a 'travesty' if I don't fight Anthony Joshua before I retire

Tyson Fury says a showdown with Anthony Joshua is "the fight that people want to see", adding it would be a “travesty” if the pair do not meet in the ring before either retires.

WBC heavyweight champion Fury has walked back his decision to retire from boxing on several occasions and is in training to face Derek Chisora for a third time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3.

Englishman Fury challenged his great domestic rival Joshua almost immediately following the latter's points defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September. Joshua accepted, saying he would be recovered and ready to face Fury in December.

However, negotiations over what would have undoubtedly been the biggest fight in British heavyweight history broke down, with both camps blaming the other.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Fury, 34, said he did not want to bow out of boxing for good having not faced Joshua – himself a two-time heavyweight champion.

“I don’t think I can retire today. I need the Joshua fight. We have been trying to make that fight for years," he said.

“It’s the fight that people want to see. It’s the fight that I want to see as a boxing fan.”

Fury boasts an unbeaten professional record of 32 wins and one draw while Joshua, 33, has suffered three defeats in his 27 pro fights, including back-to-back losses to Usyk. He first lost his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles to the Ukrainian in London in September 2021 and failed to regain them in August as Usyk took a split decision in Saudi Arabia.

Fury, whose last ring appearance saw him KO another domestic rival, Dillian Whyte, indicated he is likely to struggle to call time on his career given the constant prospect of new challenges, starting with a projected unification showdown with Usyk early next year.

A new generation of British rivals, headed by Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois, are also beginning to stake their claims for a shot at the reigning WBC champion.

“For the last four or five years, there has been this three-headed monster: me, [Deontay] Wilder, Joshua,” Fury continued.

“Joshua and Wilder have been slain, and I’m the last one standing. All of a sudden, you’ve got some new people coming up now – Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, Usyk’s gate-crashed the party.

“Now there’s a load of new blood that wasn’t there five years ago and it’s like, ‘can you beat this person?’

“But I think it would be an absolute dying travesty if me and Joshua didn’t fight in this era.”