Returning heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury has sent a warning message to Anthony Joshua ahead of their proposed super-fight in 2018.

Joshua is the IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion and is lining up a fight with undefeated New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker.

The two parties are currently negotiating and Team Parker want a 35-65 split - but Joshua's camp are holding out for a bigger share.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Fury has made a return to the gym as he bids to lose seven stone ahead of a potential comeback fight in 2018.

The self proclaimed 'Gypsy King' hasn't fought for two years after having his boxing license suspended - but his anti-doping hearing is set to resume in December.

Interviewed by iFL TV, Fury spoke at length about Joshua and included a word of warning for the 28-year-old Londoner.

"This isn't Muhammad Ali," said Fury. "This is a man built-up believing in his own hype and a man who is going to come crashing down to earth very, very soon."

Fury's advice for Joshua

A number of potential fights have been proposed since Joshua moved to 20-0 with 20 knockouts by stopping Carlos Takam in Cardiff in October.

Fury said: "Where's AJ going to go? Is he going to risk fighting Deontay Wilder and get knocked out - and losing 50 or 100 million against me. To make 10 or 20 million. It's not worth it, it's not beneficial. The cash cow is sat here today.

“The big fight is between me and him, so he can’t fight Wilder, because Wilder’s a dangerous fight, a dangerous fight for a lot less money,” said Fury to IFL TV. “This is about money, so if he wants to make that money, I suggest he stay away from Wilder.”

Fury is not wrong. A super-fight between an undefeated Joshua and Fury would be far more lucrative than a fight with Wilder.

Despite that, a 2018 fight between Joshua and Wilder is definitely on the cards and Eddie Hearn recently suggested that Joshua's camp want it to happen.

"This first meeting today may go well," said Hearn earlier in November. "It may go terribly, but fans need to know we want the fight. It will happen in 2018 unquestionably.

“The instructions from AJ is: ‘I want to be the unified champion by the end of 2018,’ so that means going through Wilder and Parker,” Hearn said. “We would fight Wilder in the US. We’d love the fight in the UK. Maybe we do two of them.”

Fury has since made it clear that he hopes to be back in 2018, which may well put any potential fight with Wilder on the back burner for now.