Anthony Joshua seeks Peter Fury’s advice for Tyson Fury fight

Anthony Joshua has revealed that Peter Fury, Tyson Fury’s uncle and former trainer, is advising him ahead of the British heavyweights’ fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.

Joshua has also resumed working with Ben Davison, who trained Fury during the early stages of his comeback, for the contest, which will be shown live on Netflix.

Joshua and Fury came face-to-face at Olympia London on Wednesday, six days after their long-discussed fight was formally announced. During the launch, Joshua confirmed that he had been in contact with Peter, who guided his nephew to victory over Wladimir Klitschko and the unified heavyweight championship in 2015.

“I speak to Peter Fury. He’s willing to help me as well. Yeah, I’ll speak to him,” Joshua said. “I last spoke to him about a month ago. I speak to Matty Harris quite a lot and he is trained by Peter so that’s how it call came about; through Matty and Peter.”

Peter will not formally join Joshua’s corner but has offered advice on his preparation. Joshua insisted their discussions had focused on adjustments to his own work, rather than inside information about an opponent Peter trained for almost six years.

“Yeah, but not about Fury … About our training and our approach. How I can approach the fight,” Joshua said. “It’s not: ‘Oh, Fury does this.’ It was more like: ‘I’ve seen what you do and this is where he thinks he can improve.’”

The relationship between Peter and his nephew deteriorated after their successful run together, with the Klitschko victory proving to be their final fight as trainer and boxer. Fury later rebuilt his career under Davison before moving to SugarHill Steward.

Fury played down his uncle’s involvement in Joshua’s preparations, saying: “I haven’t spoken to him for years.”

Davison will have a more direct role in Joshua’s camp. The pair previously worked together for Joshua’s victories over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, as well as his knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois. Joshua subsequently spent time training with Oleksandr Usyk’s team in Spain before beating Kristian Prenga in July.

Joshua said Davison would contribute to the preparation rather than take control of it.

“I’m at a stage in my life now where everybody better shut up and listen to me when it comes to boxing because I’ve learned more than most people and most coaches now,” he said. “When I sat back and I observed this, I realised Ben Davison will be a big addition to this fight with what he can add, not control, but what he can add to helping me beat Tyson Fury.”

Joshua also rejected the suggestion that Davison and Peter had been approached primarily because of their history with Fury.

“I’m going to take everything with a pinch of salt. Going to Ben and Peter is not so much because they have worked with Fury before but because they can pinpoint things,” Joshua said. “What I’ve got to do is take control of my fight with Fury, but also add their touch. And with these two powerhouses coming together, I think it will be a match made in heaven. I do believe that.”

Fury was more dismissive of Joshua’s decision to reunite with Davison, pointing to both fighters’ previous separations from the trainer.

“Don’t forget I left Ben Davison to go with Sugar Hill because he wasn’t good enough and this is the same Ben Davison who Anthony Joshua left because he wasn’t good enough,” Fury said. “When he got knocked out off the Dubois it was the same Ben Davison who everyone said: ‘Oh, he’s this, he’s that, he’s this, he’s that’ … And now they’re going back to him.”