John Fury reveals how Anthony Joshua stunned him after first public meeting

JOHN FURY has revealed what surprised him about Anthony Joshua after the pair met for the first time.

Both men are in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for AJ’s crossover boxing fight against UFC star Francis Ngannou.

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The ring icons shook hands when they met on Sunday, which marked their first-ever public meeting.

Fury and AJ were all smiles as they talked before sharing a warm hug.

And the meeting took fans by surprise, with Fury, the father of fellow heavyweight Tyson – having long been at odds with Joshua.

The pair were tipped to finally fight each other in an all-British match in December.

And after that battle failed, there is still hope that a new date can be agreed.

But Fury Snr himself has no issues with AJ, having previously battled several of Tyson’s foes, as well as opponents of fellow kid Tommy.

The original Gypsy King was full of praise for Joshua after meeting him.

And he was stunned to receive so much respect from one of his son’s rivals.

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Fury said: “I’ve always liked Anthony Joshua. I never said anything bad about him.

“He’s a great fighter, Olympic gold medalist. He did a lot for boxing, let’s not forget that.

ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED FOR A HUGE CROSSOVER CASE

“And he’s a good fighter, and he’ll be world champion again.

“But I couldn’t get over how big he was, the man is a unit.

“He has always been a kind and respectful man. He showed me respect.

“He was sweet. And it was sincere. I have nothing but admiration and respect for Anthony Joshua.

“It was a great moment for me.”

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Fury was speaking on the red carpet for a pre-event ahead of Friday’s huge fight between AJ and Ngannou.

Both boxers were also present at the ‘Grand Arrivals’ showcase in Riyadh on Monday evening.

And a host of other fighters also arrived ahead of the stacked undercard, which features Fury’s son Roman.

Zhilei Zhang was all smiles as he prepared to fight for the WBO ‘interim’ Heavyweight Belt.

His opponent Joseph Parker also looked confident on the red carpet.

Rey Vargas posed with the WBC featherweight world title ahead of his clash with Nick Ball.

And other fighters including Louise Greene, Justis Huni and Gavin Gwynne were also in attendance, as was promoter Eddie Hearn.