AJ’S not a real champ. I never lost those belts in the ring FURY SAYS JOSHUA’S A GREAT PRETENDER

TYSON FURY has fired the opening shot in his war of words with Anthony Joshua by claiming AJ is not a real champion.

The two camps have opened talks over a £200million showdown in December but Fury claims Joshua is a “pretend champion”.

The unbeaten WBC heavyweight king insists Joshua (bottom left) is not the legitimate holder of his old WBA Super, IBF and WBO belts because he never lost them in the ring.

Fury, who won all three titles when he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, said: “I’ve already been the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. When I beat Klitschko I had all the belts so, as far as I’m concerned, Anthony Joshua just has my leftovers.

“I never lost those belts. I had to take time out to deal with mental-health issues, so they’re my belts. Until a man is defeated in a boxing ring, how can you pretend to be the champion?”

Fury, 31, claims he plans to retire after a third fight with Deontay Wilder, in July, and then the clash with Joshua in December, because he will have achieved all his goals by becoming the undisputed king.

His wife Paris has repeatedly begged him to quit and, appearing with her on ITV’S This Morning yesterday, he said he would finish at the end of the year.

“I’ve got two more fights left and then we’ll really think about what we’re doing and go from there,” he said.

“I’m undefeated in 31 professional fights and this is my 12th year as a professional.”

Fury, who stopped Wilder in seven rounds 10 days ago to hand the American his first professional loss, is supremely confident he will beat him again in July.

“I beat him the first time (the bout ended in a draw) and I beat him the second time and I will surely beat him the third time,” he said. “But he’s a very worthy opponent. He’s a very dangerous opponent, and he has the eraser knockout.

“You’re only one mistake away from disaster against him, so you have to be switched on for all 12 rounds.”

Fury (top left) self-destructed after his win over Klitschko and was vilified for his sexist and homophobic comments before battling depression.

He admits he finds the weeks after a fight a massive low, but says he is in a much better place this time.

“It’s almost an anticlimax,” he said. “You elevate yourself in mind and body to go and box at this level and nothing means anything apart from the fight.

“Then you win and it’s like ‘Oh well, I’ve done that’ and slide down the other side.

“But I feel fine. I’ve learned over the years to deal with the mental-health problems and to train on a daily basis and keep a routine.”