A fighter who has shared rounds with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has suggested that one man boasts clear advantages over the other.
The two British heavyweights are set to collide in November, just so long as ‘AJ’ comes through his tune-up fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25.
While not facing the most formidable challenge, Joshua could perhaps be forgiven for the quality of his opponent after having not fought since his sixth-round stoppage victory over Jake Paul in December.
Moreover, the 36-year-old has been recovering both physically and emotionally from the tragic car crash, which took the lives of his two closest friends.
He has also not been involved in a meaningful fight since September 2024, back when he suffered a fifth-round stoppage defeat to Danile Dubois.
With Joshua gearing up for a comeback fight, though, there is now a desire from Fury to enter another outing before they finally collide later this year.
This would follow his unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov last month, which saw the 37-year-old fight for the first time since suffering a second points defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024.
But based on the inconsistent nature of Fury’s career in recent years, and indeed his last performance, former sparring partner Agron Smakici has told Boxing News that he gives Joshua the edge.
“I would go for Joshua. Both fighters are great, both fighters have different skills, but I will go for Joshua because he’s more prepared, more focused [on] this sport all the time.
“Tyson Fury was in-and-out [of retirement and had] problems in his private life. It takes the energy and spends your body.
“You can see he’s much slower – the reflexes are not [there]. With Joshua, if [you make] one mistake it can cost you a lot. He has really big power in his hands.”
Smakici famously cut Fury during a sparring session back in early 2024, which led to the delay to the initial clash between ‘The Gypsy King’ and Usyk.
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