Anthony Joshua has received backing from Tyson Fury's dad ahead of his highly-anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua, 32, will bid to become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world this summer on August 20 at the Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The British superstar suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September losing the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in the process.
But he has been backed to win back the titles that he lost last year by none other than John Fury himself.
Fury Sr told the Metro via Freebets: "He’s a big strong guy and it was only a game plan that let him down last time and Usyk, even though he got the decision, he knew he was in a fight. He was smashed to bits was Usyk.
"So, all AJ has to do is tweak a few things and sheer size and power wins. He needs to get his mind right though as that’s the key to unlocking it all. I believe he can do it.
"He’s got a funny way of doing things. He beat Ruiz in Saudi on the return so why not? If anyone’s capable its AJ. I hope he does win and who knows, a fight against him might just tempt Tyson.
Anthony Joshua's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk has been confirmed to take place on August 20 in Saudi Arabia
"I’ll be watching that. It’s good to see a fellow Brit trying to climb a mountain. It is a mountain for AJ. It’s an Everest for him, but I think he can do it. If he gets the right kind of training, the right kind of game plan together, why not? Good luck to him, I hope he makes it."
Victory over Usyk - who is one of just three men to win world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight - could see Joshua fight Fury for the chance to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Asked if Joshua is the only one who can lure Tyson out of retirement, John replied: "Yes. Nobody else will.
"To be honest with you, he’s never come out the gym. He’s obsessed with training at the moment, twice a day, every day. I’ve been participating in some of it myself.
"He enjoys training, the pressure is off and he loves the gym life. He’s turned into a gym rat basically. It’s funny to see but he is.
"He’s super fit and he’s enjoying his time out the ring. Whether it’s going to be permanent or not, it’s up to him. He says he’s retired but you never know with Tyson.
"He’s training very hard for a retired man in my book. But that’s up to him, we’ll see in the future."
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