James DeGale has said that he would prefer to see Anthony Joshua take on the "real champ" Tyson Fury rather than Wladimir Klitschko.
Joshua and Klitschko will meet in a heavyweight super-fight at Wembley on April 29, with Joshua's IBF title and the WBA belt recently vacated by Fury on the line.
Fury beat Klitschko for the WBA and WBO titles in October 2015 before being forced to vacate them for medical reasons, and DeGale believes that Fury's absence will undermine what he expects to be a victory for Joshua.
"Everyone's making a big deal out of the fight; it's a good fight but Klitschko lost his last fight to Fury, the real champ is Fury. It doesn't really excite me. I want to see it but I'd rather Anthony Joshua box Fury, that's all," he told PA.
"Anthony Joshua's the man, a beast, he's the best heavyweight in the world now. I didn't mean to put the fight down, just I'd rather see Joshua fight the real champ. Anthony Joshua is a beast, he's a very good fighter, and is going to go on to be a superstar.
"I think it is watered down, I think it will be. [But] I expect Joshua to stop Klitschko, and look good in doing it."
The bout is expected to attract a British post-war record attendance of around 90,000.
Barney Corkhill
