Anthony Joshua denies he has stepped aside for Tyson Fury to face Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony Joshua was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk in September (Nick Potts/PA)

Anthony Joshua has dismissed suggestions he has signed a £15million deal to step aside from his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Reports claimed the British fighter was willing to allow Ukrainian Usyk to instead fight Tyson Fury in an undisputed heavyweight bout.

But Joshua has emphatically quashed such talk.

Anthony Joshua fires back at reports that he is "close to accepting" a £15million step-aside deal to enable Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk…

[🎥 @AnthonyJoshua] pic.twitter.com/46nmJ1ddfQ

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) January 24, 2022

Speaking in a video posted on Twitter by talkSPORT’s online boxing editor Michael Benson, the 32-year-old said: “You know what’s mad about all these interviews I see?

“I see certain interviews that quote what I said and I think to myself, ‘I haven’t done no interviews’.

“I’m hearing people saying: ‘AJ accepts £15million to step aside’. I ain’t signed no contract; I ain’t seen no contract.

“So as it stands, stop listening to the bulls**t until it comes from me. I’m the man in control of my own destiny, I’m the man that handles my business.”

I'm a smart individual and I make calculated decisions every step of the way.

Joshua lost his heavyweight world titles to Usyk on points in September, before fellow Briton Fury defeated Deontay Wilder the following month to defend his WBC crown.

Fury’s promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have reportedly been pushing for Dillian Whyte – the mandatory challenger to the WBC belt – to agree terms to step aside, while also speaking to Joshua’s team.

“I’m a smart individual and I make calculated decisions every step of the way,” Joshua continued.

“Don’t listen to the bulls**t from other sources. If I tell you something then you know it’s real.”