Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been exchanging barbs while fresh skepticism surrounds their much‑anticipated showdown later this year. Fury is set to step back into the ring against Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, and Joshua will make his return against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia the following day.

Both bouts are being billed as warm‑up fights ahead of a possible November clash, a meeting that still lacks a confirmed date or venue. While the British heavyweight community hopes the two will finally meet, Fury has made it clear he is ready to face "anybody else" if the Joshua fight does not materialise in the near term.

During a candid interview with Sky Sports News host Dev Sahni, Fury let his frustration spill over in a profanity‑laden tirade aimed at his compatriot. "Let's not make this about silly Mr Bodybuilder. I'm not interested in him or his mates or anybody else. I don't give a **** about him.

I don't care if I ever see him again in my life. If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't," Fury snarled.

He continued, "I'm not interested in him, anybody should do for him – his manager, his wife, his sister, his cousin. No interest." Fury then turned his attention to his upcoming opponent, saying, "We've got five months left in the year, so I want to get this fella [Wach] boxed, do well, and do what I can." He added a confident assessment of his own condition: "I know I can beat this fella.

I could beat this fella with one hand, and that's not to say anything bad about Mariusz, but I'm in good form. I could beat all of these heavyweights with one hand.

I'm injury‑free and ready to rock and roll." He concluded with a hint of flexibility regarding Joshua: "There's five months to get another fight in before the end of the year. And if it is your man Anthony Joshua, good. And if it's not, then I'll be fighting somebody else." Joshua responded in kind, dubbing Fury "Mr Greedy Belly" and promising to "do his part of the bargain" by dispatching Prenga this weekend. "He's always been talking about my body for so many years," Joshua said.

"What I would do for him at a discounted rate because of his profile, I'll help him transform his body from being a greedy belly into a bodybuilder. I'll give him a set of six‑pack abs. If he's really keen to know what it takes to look like this, I'll help him out. He's always obsessed with my abs." The British champion also hinted that a Wembley showdown might need a later start time to accommodate an international television audience.

"Quick party, quick central London, local Wetherspoons or whatever it is, and then hit the fight night in Wembley. That would be unbelievable," he mused, suggesting a possible 2 a.m.

curfew extension. Fury's bout with Wach is scheduled for around 4 p.m.

UK time on Friday in Pattaya, with a modest crowd of about 1,500 spectators. Joshua's fight against Prenga will take place Saturday night in Jeddah.

Joshua had previously attended Fury's April victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in London, but Fury has made it clear he will not travel to Saudi Arabia for a potential Joshua showdown. "I'm going home.

I've got about as much interest in Anthony Joshua versus 'some Pringles' as I have of spewing that all over the floor. None. I'm going home.

I'm not interested in AJ and his mate boxing," Fury declared. When asked whether a face‑to‑face bout in Saudi Arabia would serve as a signal that the long‑rumoured fight is imminent, Fury was non‑committal: "You can send out as many signals as you want. You've been told for 10 years it's happening.

It hasn't happened, has it? So don't hold your breath. I've always had my doubts. But if it happens, good.

If it doesn't, also good." Wach, a former heavyweight world champion in 2012, continues to fight regularly despite a recent record of eight losses in his last twelve outings. At 46, he claims he wants to "ruin" Fury's plans for a Joshua clash, but Fury does not underestimate his veteran opponent. "It's going to be crazy but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

It's going to be good," the Gypsy King said. "He's a tough man.

He's a veteran, and he's been around the game 20 years plus. So he's a dangerous man, a big heavyweight and anything can happen.

I've got to obviously be wary of him and be on my A‑game and do what I do." Fury emphasized his preparation, noting a ten‑week training camp that left "no stone unturned". "I'm ready to go. I'm in great shape and I'm fit as a fiddle," he affirmed.

Both fighters appear determined to prove themselves in their respective warm‑up bouts, while the larger narrative of a Fury‑Joshua showdown hangs in the balance. Whether the two will finally meet before the end of the year remains uncertain, but the heated exchange of insults and the looming schedule of fights suggest that the boxing world will be watching closely for any sign that the long‑awaited clash is moving from fantasy to reality.