Tyson Fury needs a couple of fights to ready himself for a clash with Anthony Joshua after spending such a long time out of the ring, according to Amir Khan.

Fury was recently stripped of his RING belt after failing to schedule a comeback fight before January 31 but is training with new coach Ben Davison ahead of return to the ring this year, though a proposed April date looks unlikely at this stage.

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Despite his recent trials and tribulations, Khan, who is currently preparing to meet Phil Lo Greco in April in what will be his first fight in nearly two years, still thinks Fury is one of the most talented heavyweights in the division but needs a couple of fights before he can consider stepping into the ring with Joshua, who could unify the division or lose all of his belts when he meets South Auckland boxer Joseph Parker at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff next month.

"I think Fury might need a little more time," Khan told Sky Sports. "He's a great fighter, one of the best fighters in the heavyweight division.

"He's got the boxing skills, that's something people will always probably underestimate him for. When he was fighting against [Wladimir] Klitschko, he was the first guy to set the blueprint on beating Klitschko.

"I said to everyone before that, he's going to school Klitschko, which he did. He out-boxed him in his own game, in Germany as well.

"It's not a 50-50 fight at the moment, because Fury has been out of the ring for such a long time. I think if Fury maybe gets two fights under his belt, and then takes that fight, then you can say it's a 50-50. At the moment, I give it 70-30 to Joshua. That's a Wembley fight, definitely."

Khan seemed to be echoing the recent sentiments of Joshua, who dismissed a potential bout with Fury in 2018 as nothing more than a "fantasy" at this moment in time due to the inactivity and lack of fitness, though he believes the 29-year-old would prove to be the toughest test of his career if a fight actually materialised.

Tyson Fury
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