Tyson Fury looks to avenge his first defeat against Oleksandr Usyk when they meet again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury enacted his rematch clause immediately and is looking to take it out of the judges’ hands this time around. Whether or not he can be the first man to stop Usyk remains to be seen.
For Anthony Joshua‘s money – who has fought and lost to Usyk twice over 24 hard rounds – doesn’t believe it will happen for his countryman. Speaking to IFL TV, ‘AJ’ said there are ‘levels.’
“I said Usyk will win. I said that from 2023. I do think Fury’s a good fighter, but there’s levels. A cruiserweight nearly knocked Fury out. You’ve got to learn from these situations. I don’t think he underestimated him, but what he was saying about middleweights, it just goes to show you should never downplay a fighter.
You should give them the credit they deserve so you don’t go in there thinking you’re gonna bully someone and the next thing you know the tables turn in a fight. Fury maybe should give him the respect he deserves next time and he might put on a better performance.”
Joshua went as far as saying there is ‘no way’ Fury gets the win.
“Me personally what I think, nah. No way. It’s not that I didn’t see enough. I think Fury’s good, he had some good moments, I just don’t think he can do it. It’s not that I don’t rate him, I just don’t think that he’s better than Usyk.”
Joshua, who lost to Daniel Dubois this year in an attempt to become three-time heavyweight champion, will have a keen eye on the December 21 contest. His promoter Eddie Hearn has been clear that they will push to make the long-awaited Fury clash no matter the result, though they will have a much better chance at landing it if Fury loses for a second time.
