Anthony Joshua moves to the beat of his own drum and has never wanted his career to be dictated by anyone.

However, for years, both he and Tyson Fury have been intrinsically linked due to their fame success as two of Britain's true sporting superstars.

Naturally, a fight between them has always made sense. But for the usual reasons, it simply hasn’t happened. Despite failing to face off, that hasn’t stopped them from hurling verbal threats at one another. Fury, particularly, has been relentless these last few weeks, chastising him at every turn.

Time and time again, Fury has attempted to push Joshua’s buttons. But, for the most part, Joshua has ignored him and focused on the task at hand. Number one on his to-do list is to take care of business against Jake Paul on December 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

Neither man carries an undefeated record anymore, but facing each other would still generate massive revenue and buzz in the boxing world. Nevertheless, Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) doesn’t want to spend too much time thinking about someone who isn’t in the same profession as he is.

“I’m fighting Jake,” Joshua told Rick Reeno on the Mr. Verzace Podcast. “That’s my focus. Fury isn’t even on my radar. He can sit around doing Instagram videos but he’s not the one getting in the ring, Jake is. I’m looking for real fighters. Tyson’s not a real fighter in my eyes.”

Although he doesn’t consider Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) a real fighter anymore, many in boxing circles have the same thoughts on his upcoming opponent. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) spent most of his life in the YouTube world with boxing being the furthest thing from his mind. When he did make that crossover in 2020, fans and media members refused to take him seriously.

The 28-year-old has fought a mixture of former NBA players, MMA stars, and past their prime former boxing champions. In his last two fights, Paul cruised to easy wins over a nearly 60-year-old Mike Tyson and an over-the-hill Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Joshua, though, doesn’t view him as some gimmick. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist is hoping to bounce back from a fifth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

If the 36-year-old goes out there and does what many are expecting, the next chapter in his book could very well be a showdown with Fury.

As reported by The Ring a few days ago, a matchup between them is being planned for a Riyadh Season card in 2026.

Fury announced his retirement after suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

Joshua remembers watching those two battle it out for 24 rounds. In their first meeting, Fury, who was a massive favorite heading in, was nearly knocked out in the ninth round before losing a close decision.

Currently, Joshua, who fought Usyk twice too, considers the Ukrainian a friend and even trains with his team in Valencia, Spain. However, he was hoping to see the unified heavyweight champion knock Fury’s head off. With that said, he promises to do just that if they fight.

“I wish Usyk knocked him out,” Joshua continued. “He needs to be humbled. I swear, if I ever got the opportunity, I’ll make sure I lay him flat on his back.”