Fury is expected to take another fight before his planned showdown with Joshua later this year. No opponent has been announced, but Joshua says Fury should take on unbeaten heavyweight contender Moses Itauma rather than searching elsewhere.

“If he’s fighting before me, why not fight Itauma?” Joshua said to talkSPORT Boxing.

“Is he fighting Itauma? He was saying to me when I was looking for an opponent, ‘Fight Wardley, fight Itauma, these fights are easy to be made.’

“That would be a perfect name because they’re all under the same promotion. If Fury is what he says he is then he should step forward and Frank should put his fighter forward instead of worrying what I’m up to.”

Joshua’s comments came while discussing Fury’s plans for another bout before their long-awaited fight. The former two-time heavyweight champion appeared to be turning Fury’s earlier advice back on him, pointing out that a Fury-Itauma fight would be simple to arrange, given that both fighters are promoted by Queensberry.

Itauma has become one of the most talked-about young heavyweights in boxing. The 21-year-old is 14-0 with 12 knockouts and stopped Jermaine Franklin in five rounds in March. His rapid rise has led many fans and pundits to view him as a future world champion.

A Fury-Itauma fight remains highly unlikely, however.

Fury is expected to select a lower-risk opponent for his summer return, while Itauma is widely expected to move ahead with a fight against Filip Hrgovic in August. That matchup would represent another significant step up for the unbeaten prospect as Queensberry continues to move him toward world-level competition.

Joshua, meanwhile, has his own business to handle first. He returns against Kristian Prenga on July 25, before attention turns toward the heavyweight clash boxing fans have waited years to see.