Tyson Fury has launched a blistering social media assault on Anthony Joshua, labelling his British rival "a classless loser" just days before Joshua's bout with Jake Paul.
The former world heavyweight champion took particular exception to Joshua's comments at open workouts, where he declared: "If I can kill you, I will kill you."
Fury responded with derision, filming himself during the school run with wife Paris.
"I think he's a little bit long in the tooth to be talking s***e like that," Fury said on Instagram.
Tyson Fury took to social media to threaten Anthony Joshua
|REUTERS/INSTAGRAM
The 37-year-old dismissed Joshua as being "at the end of his career fighting a YouTuber, a Disney Channel guy."
Fury's tirade escalated with direct threats aimed at his compatriot.
"If I ever come across you, bum, I'm knocking you dead spark out," he warned.
"I ain't a YouTuber or a man half your size. I am him. The man."
The Gypsy King was particularly scathing about Joshua's September 2024 defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley, describing it as "a 15-month knockout defeat to a local lad."
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will face off in a controversial fight this weekend
|PA
"Imagine if someone from Morecambe knocked me out," Fury scoffed, referencing his Lancashire hometown.
He also reminded viewers that Paul's sole professional loss came against his younger brother Tommy.
"I can't wait if Jake Paul knocks you spark out," Fury added.
Joshua has been absent from the ring since that devastating Wembley defeat, where Dubois floored him four times en route to a fifth-round stoppage.
It marked the fourth loss of his career and second by knockout.
Friday's contest at Miami's Kaseya Center will be a professional bout rather than an exhibition, with the result counting on both fighters' records.
Joshua enters with a 28-4 record, boasting 25 knockout victories against elite opposition including Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin.
Paul, meanwhile, stands at 12-1 with seven stoppages, having defeated former UFC champions and 58-year-old Mike Tyson among his conquests.
Despite the war of words, promoter Frank Warren has confirmed that negotiations for a Fury-Joshua showdown are progressing.
"There's been some talks going on, there's nothing been signed yet, but Tyson's indicated if it's the right deal, he'll definitely do it," Warren told Sky Sports News earlier this week.
The promoter expressed optimism that the long-anticipated British heavyweight clash could materialise in late summer 2026.
"I think it's going in the right direction and hopefully we'll get some news pretty soon as to what's going to happen," he added.
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have never met in the ring | PAWarren stated plainly: "I do believe it will happen."
Boxing enthusiasts have waited years for these two British heavyweights to finally meet.