Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua meet at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in less than two months, and British heavyweight Dave Allen has revealed why he has changed his prediction for the upcoming battle.
Fury and ‘AJ’ have been linked to a showdown with one another for the best part of a decade, but the duo of two-time heavyweight rulers continuously failed to agree terms, much to the disappointment of the British public.
In the twilight years of their respective careers, an agreement for Fury and Joshua to meet has finally been reached, controversially battling it out for the vacant WBA (Super) heavyweight world title – at the ages of 38 and 36 years old.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, Allen looked ahead to the battle and revealed that, years ago, he would have expected the contest to last the whole 12 rounds.
“I think that there is potential fight for this to be a more exciting fight than it could have ever been.
“I think that, 10 years ago, Fury would have boxed and moved and been elusive and tried to get a points victory.”
Yet, these days, Allen admitted that he sees Fury-Joshua playing out much differently, believing that the fight will not see the fourth round, largely due to the supposed deterioration of Joshua’s chin.
“In 2026, nearing 2027, this should be exciting.
“Joshua’s punch resistance looks to be gone from the [Kristian] Prenga contest and the [Daniel] Dubois fight – he got knocked down six times in those seven rounds alone. So, there is a lot of question marks over his punch resistance.
“Joshua has always had the power to hurt Fury. For me, 10 years ago I thought this has 12 rounds written all over it, but now I can’t see it going past three.
“So, I would say it will be more exciting but in terms of actual quality it will be nowhere near the contest that it once was.”
Fury-Joshua takes place on Friday, December 11, in Cardiff, with eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao being linked to an appearance on the undercard.
