Joshua regrets offering Fury sparring session

British heavyweight boxing challenger Anthony Joshua is pictured during a press conference in Diriyah in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on Wednesday, ahead of the upcoming "Clash on the Dunes" on Saturday.

Anthony Joshua admits he regrets going public with his offer to spar Tyson Fury , though he insists that the chance to learn from the Gypsy King would be hugely beneficial.

Fresh from winning back his titles from Andy Ruiz Jr ., AJ revealed that he would be up for helping Fury prepare for his own rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder – which is scheduled for February .

It did not take long for Fury to respond , accepting the invitation, and Joshua is adamant the offer was serious – though he ’s a little bashful about the hubbub that his remarks have created.

Asked about his comments by IFL TV , Joshua immediately laughed and said , ‘You know when I look back at some of the s** t I say I think , “why did I say that ?!”’ Probed further on Fury accepting the offer , AJ continued , ‘So now we ’re going to talk about it and give more publicised things to talk about ! ‘You know what it is, Fury is a world -class fighter and I ’m a world -class fighter that is still trying to improve so I can become like an elite -level fighter when I ’m fighting . ‘Sparring Fury is only going to do me good , in my opinion . So I’ m never too big for my boots where I can ’ t learn anymore .

“So that opportunity , for me to spar Fury , is for my own benefit as well. ‘And the reason why I thought about it and the reason why it came to fruition for me is because I feel like , if Fury was to win that fight ( against Wilder) I think he would be more inclined to fight me next and quicker than Wilder would .”