Anthony Joshua reveals theory as to why he and Tyson Fury are denied plaudits they deserve

The British heavyweights hold all four belts in boxing’s premier division

Joshua insists he deserves more credit globally as a heavyweight champion (PA)

Anthony Joshua has claimed both he and Tyson Fury are denied the plaudits they deserve because they are British.

The unified heavyweight world champion recaptured three of the four belts in his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr last year.

And Fury managed to topple Deontay Wilder to grab the WBC strap in February.

But Joshua is adamant the praise that has come their way is only a fraction of what is should be.

“It was a difficult time in my career. Last year was a real tough year,” Joshua told Sky Sports.

“As a British heavyweight fighter, we never get the respect from the world media, which is governed by America to a certain degree, because we’re British.

“Americans are going to take care of Americans. So when I lost… you take challenges, the goal is to win 100 per cent.”

Fury, meanwhile, is embracing the positive aspect to lockdown right now due to coronavirus.

“You can take positives out of every negative, and the positive I can take out of this one is that I get to spend a lot more time with my family,” the WBC champion told Talk Sport.

“People are really realising now what’s important in life. Sometimes we get lost in the ride of life, thinking about our ambitions and everything – and we forget about the really important things – families, friends, loved-ones, health.

“It has awoken me because I was one of those people who fell victim to that, always chasing stuff and always wanting to do big things, I was never happy sitting at home and I wanted to go out and be active.

“In the couple of weeks I’ve been locked down I’ve had time to focus on the things that really matter in my life. I think I’ll come back a different person and I think I’ll have a different mindset.”