On this day in 2015, Fury opened up the heavyweight division following Klitschko’s decade of dominance, leading to Joshua picking up his first world title just five months later.
Despite Fury’s victory being a direct contributor to where Joshua currently sits today as a three-belt world ruler, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist accused his nemesis of ‘stealing boxing’.
“Fury boxed 12 rounds and ran,” Joshua The Independent. “I don’t respect that. If I’m the King of Dubai in the olden days and a different empire comes to take my territory, you don’t come and steal my treasure – that’s what Fury’s done I think.
“He stole the boxing from Klitschko in the sense that he just boxed and moved. If an up and coming king wants to take the king’s treasure, you look him in the face and put the dagger in his chest. You don’t stay from afar and slash, slash. You go to war and that is what me and Klistchko did.
“The new king is announced if you really dethrone the old king, you knock him out and took him out of the throne and now you sit on the throne. If you go to points you’re only as good as the last champion. You have to knock out the old champion to show you’re stronger and fiercer.
“If I went out there and went 12 rounds with Klitschko then we are just as good as each other. The judges made the decision on the fight, I went out there and knocked him out. I took the belts from him. I didn’t leave it to judges,” he added.
Joshua’s April stoppage of Klitschko could land the 28 year-old the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for 2017, although ‘AJ’ is facing competition from Formula 1 king Lewis Hamilton.
