After years of ‘he said, she said’ regarding their infamous sparring session in 2010, Tyson Fury has attempted to set the record straight on his first encounter with Anthony Joshua.

The two heavyweights have only locked horns on the one occasion and, 16 years later, they will do so in a professional ring at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

It has been roughly a decade in the making but, finally, their long-awaited showdown is due to take place on December 11, with the winner expected to become a three-time world champion by claiming the WBA ‘super’ title.

As for their behind-closed-doors sparring session at Finchley ABC, there has been a multitude of conflicting accounts, ranging from Fury getting knocked out to Joshua quitting halfway through.

In terms of his immediate assessment, Fury once admitted years ago that, if he had a weak chin, there would have been a good chance of him getting knocked out.

Now, though, the 38-year-old is far less complimentary of his domestic rival while speaking with Michelle Joy Phelps.

“From the spars that I remember, or the one spar we had, [Joshua] got out the ring after two rounds, so there was no beating anybody up.

“It was me giving a kid a leg up. I was a pro at the time … he was an amateur boxer who no one had even heard of.”

At the time, Fury was offering his Rolex to anyone who could knock him out in sparring and, while he was unsuccessful in doing so, Joshua has since gone on record to say he had a “straight war” with ‘The Gypsy King’.