ANTHONY JOSHUA is still clinging to the faint hope his summer undisputed showdown with Tyson Fury is at Wembley.
The Watford icon insists his local stadium, which hosted the iconic 2018 KO win over Wladimir Klitschko, remains top of his wish list for the clash with the Gypsy King.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed a UK venue would cost both fighters a pay cut of up to 50 per cent as countries like Saudi Arabia – the front runner – are willing to pay huge site fees to host.
But 31-year-old AJ told Jonathan Ross the home of English football would be his first choice for the all-English clash.
“I’ve signed my side of the deal,” Joshua confirmed. “We’ve sent him a good offer, one I’m sure he won’t refuse. He wants the fight, no doubt about it.
“So do I and more than me and him, the whole public want it.
“I put my crystal ball out there and I say it’s going to happen this year 100 per cent.
“I’m pretty sure it’ll be this year. End of July, early August.
“Where? That’s what’s the delay, because of this pandemic. We want to have people coming to the venue.
“It’s just finding the right location. For me, Wembley would be ideal.”
AJ and Fury shared a now legendary sparring session back in 2010 and then bumped into each other while holidaying separately in Marbella last year.
Apart from that their only dealings have been FaceTime calls, with the 6ft 9in WBC champ admitting he sometimes calls to prank his rival.
And AJ hints Fury is not as brave in person as he is over the phone.
When asked if he considers them friends, he said: “I have met him. I don’t even know what we are.
“I’ve seen him face-to-face and people on video and social media are different than face-to-face.”
Soon-to-be-father-of-six Fury is currently in training camp in Las Vegas with eldest son Prince shadowing him and learning the family trade.
AJ is grafting away at his favourite Finchley amateur gym and is too busy to add any children to his family – yet.
But he has plans to overtake his nemesis in the sprog stakes, once he has achieved all he targets in the hurt business.
He said: “I want to have loads.
“Someone said to me ‘when you’re young you don’t want to have kids but, when you’re older and settled down and retired, you wish that you had more kids around you’.
“So I’m just looking ahead – loads for me is probably another six.”
Little JJ is Joshua’s pride and joy and the London 2012 Olympic golden boy wants his lad to watch the Fury fight, once it finally comes around, as the hurt business provides so many life lessons.
He said: “JJ is five, I would like him to watch me fight, I don’t mind.
“What I’d explain to him, more so being a fighter, it’s about chatting to him and saying, ‘This is where I lost, this is how I felt, but I didn’t give up.’
“He’s at that age now where if he’s not good at something he doesn’t want to do it.
“So I try to express to him, ‘Even though you’re not good at it yet, practise makes perfect’.”
