Former unified world champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) has responded to IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) - after the current champ revealed his desire to face Fury in the ring.
Joshua is scheduled to return in the fall - either in a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko or a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev.
Fury took the heavyweight throne in 2015, after dominating Klitschko over twelve round in Germany. He was stripped of the IBF title for failing to make a mandatory defense (due to a rematch clause with Klitschko), and then last year he vacated the IBO, WBA, WBO titles to focus on his mental health and substance abuse issues.
Joshua told Sky Sports: "I listen to what people want. Tyson makes a lot of noise and he's made it clear that he wants to fight me.
"Now, I'm in a position that I can say: 'Tyson when you're back, I'm interested, so let's live up to what people want to see us do'. That's why he's top of my list. In the UK, Tyson Fury. Internationally, my pick would be [Deontay] Wilder."
Fury responded back on social media.
"Let's face it, I went out to Germany and won my thing and done my thing. I got stripped of my belt within seven days because I wasn't allowed any extension time to do my rematch clause. AJ's just done the same thing and he was granted time to defend. Racial discrimination? Yes I know," Fury said.
"People do want to see the fight between you and me, AJ. The world wants to see it because I'm still the lineal heavyweight champion and everybody knows that. I walked away from boxing because I wasn't interested. There were no challenges there. I played with the best man there was.
"Now that I've been out two years, there seems to be a few more challenges. People think that you can beat me, I don't think you can personally. Let me get my situation on track, get fit and I'll fight you. May the best man win."
"People think that you can beat me, I don't think you can, personally. You need to fight me because at the moment I'm still the lineal champ. I really don't think AJ is fit to lace my boots up."