Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had claimed the pair signed a two-fight deal, but Fury Snr insists it means nothing until a date or venue has been arranged.

He added that the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic means it is not the right time to stage such a showpiece bout.

Fury Snr said on BT Sport: “What have they signed? They’ve signed nothing in my eyes. They’ve got no date, no venue, no nothing.

“What does it mean if you can’t get a date and a venue? What does it mean if no one is willing to put the money?

“It’s all about somebody coming forward and saying, ‘I’ll pay for the fight, I’ll stage the fight’. Where are these people?

“That’s the position and I don’t think they can get it together. It is too big for what is happening and the climate the world is in at the moment. I just don’t think the timing is right for a fight of that magnitude with the state of the world at the minute.”