Tyson Fury told he MUST beat Anthony Joshua to be considered ‘the number one heavyweight of modern era’ by ex-champ

TYSON FURY has been told he MUST beat Anthony Joshua to truly be considered the best of his era.

The Gypsy King currently reigns as the undefeated WBC, Ring and Lineal heavyweight champion.

GettyTyson Fury has been told he must beat Anthony Joshua to be considered the best[/caption]

Anthony Joshua ahead of his return fight with Jermaine FranklinRichard Pelham / The Sun

And with marquee wins over Deontay Wilder, 37, and Wladimir Klitschko, 47, he is widely regarded as the division’s No1.

But the chance to put that beyond any doubt in an undisputed title decider with Oleksandr Usyk, 36, was KO’d after talks broke down.

It was a repeat of 2021 when Fury, 34, and Joshua, 33, failed in attempting to put all four belts on the line for the first time in heavyweight history.

But ex-European super-bantamweight champion Spencer Oliver wants to see the British superstars finally settle the score.

He told talkSPORT: “I think fighting AJ is the biggest fight out there [for Fury], I think it’s the biggest fight in the heavyweight division right now, that is the one.

“AJ vs Fury is a fight we’ve all wanted to see and it’s a huge fight and I think that’s a fight that [Fury] would like, because it’s all about legacy.

“To cement your legacy in the modern era you have to box everybody and AJ is a huge name in that heavyweight division.

“So, Fury needs that name on his record if he wants to be known as the number one heavyweight of this modern era.

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“I think it’s a fight that would whet his appetite even more than Usyk.”

Joshua returns on Saturday at the O2 Arena against Jermaine Franklin, 29, off the back of consecutive losses to Usyk.

And after talks to unify the belts collapsed, promoter Eddie Hearn wants to capitalise by at last pitting AJ against Fury if he beats Franklin.

Tyson Fury facing off with Oleksandr UsykREUTERS