Anthony Joshua’s first coach opens up on infamous Tyson Fury sparring session that will leave Gypsy King ‘scared’

ANTHONY JOSHUA’S first-ever coach has opened up on the infamous Tyson Fury sparring session. Joshua and Fury look set to finally settle their decade long feud with a blockbuster pencilled in for November. Anthony Joshua with his first-ever trainer Sean Murphy Credit: Nick Obank – The Sun Tyson Fury sparred AJ back in 2020 Credit: Getty Images – Getty But, it is not the first time the pair of ex-heavyweight champions will share the ring. Because when Fury was just a novice professional in 2010 – with AJ even less experienced as an amateur – they shared three now-iconic rounds. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Very few were there to witness the piece of history – but Joshua’s Finchley Amateur Boxing trainer Sean Murphy was one of them. He told SunSport in Jeddah: “I remember it perfectly. But sparring is sparring, and getting in the ring and fighting is another thing. “I think Tyson come to the gym, he underestimated Josh. Because we hadn’t done a lot and then Josh sort of like, he got the better of him for two of the three rounds. “Tyson won one of the rounds, in my eyes we won two of the rounds. “And he actually said, he’d just been to Finchley Boxing Club on Steve Bunce’s show, and said, ‘Look out for this kid because he’s really good.’ “And I don’t think he’s forgotten about that day. And that’s still lasted in his mind. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga - all the info Anthony Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in his huge comeback fight The Home of Boxing in 2026 There's a massive year of boxing ahead! It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring. Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year. The Gypsy King has beaten Mariusz Wach in his second fight of the year to hold up his end of the deal with AJ. And Moses Itauma returns for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August. Here’s all the big fights coming up… July Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN PPV Sun 26 – Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu August Sat 1 – Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain – DAZN Sat 15 – Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott – DAZN Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN September Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue. “And I don’t know whether that’s casting a little bit of doubt on him, whether he fancies the fight or not.” Despite Fury’s honest admission on the radio – he this week claimed it was he who got the better of AJ and made him QUIT after three rounds. But Murphy revealed he was the one that pulled Joshua out – because there was no money to be made. He said: “I asked his uncle if he was gonna weigh him in. I asked if he was gonna pay him. And he said, ‘No, no, no, we only want three rounds.’ “So after the three rounds, Tyson was begging to do another round with Josh. And because we were doing him a favour, I said, ‘No, get out. You’ve done your three rounds. I’ll put another kid in,’ who was in the gym. “And he done a round with him, a southpaw kid. But nah, he just wanted to prove something. “And I knew what it was going to be, he was going to turn it on, try and turn it on him. “But I was there to look after Josh, he was only a novice at the time. So, that’s what happened that night.” Joshua, 36, returns TONIGHT in Saudi Arabia against 20-1 Albanian Kristian Prenga, 35, with Murphy in attendance to watch. A day earlier, Fury, 37, came through his warm-up bout by beating Polish veteran MW, 46, in seven one-sided rounds. It sets the scene for a score-settling grudge match 15 YEARS on from their first sparring session. Murphy said: “When they see Josh, they’ll be scared. They’ll be scared, because I have a feeling he’s going to perform. “I mean, listen, you don’t know how he’s going to react it’s his first fight without his two friends there that he lost at Christmas. “So that’s another big factor to play. I think he’s mentally strong enough, because he really has handled it well. “The way he’s got back in the gym. And he’s got a purpose. He wants to be a three-time world champion. And he’s serious about it. “He’s not just playing at this game. He’s gone into one of the best camps he could have gone in, with Oleksandr Usyk’s team. “And I feel they’ve really, they’ve really improved him and made him a better fighter.” Comment now