On Saturday, Anthony Joshua left fight fans with their hearts in their mouths in a dramatic five-minute shootout before registering a stoppage win against Kristian Prenga, and fellow British heavyweight Derek Chisora has offered his thoughts on the performance of ‘AJ’.
Joshua had been expected to make easy work of Albania’s Prenga, but the 35-year-old underdog proved to be anything but for the two-time heavyweight ruler. Instead, it was Prenga who started fast and twice floored Joshua in a sensational opening round.
What Joshua appeared to lack in punch resistance he made up for in mental resilience as he bounced back in round two and caught Prenga clean to close the show and remove concerns of an almighty upset.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Chisora said that Joshua was ‘sleeping’ when he stepped through the ropes and criticised the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist for not using his jab.
“He decided to go in there without using his jab and he got laid out. There is no two ways about it, he got hit.
“It doesn’t matter how big you are, if someone hits you at the right time, in the right spot, you are going down. Heavyweight, non-heavyweight, it don’t matter, it is lights out.
“He came into the ring sleeping and then he woke the f**k up, that is it. That dude was asleep.”
That display has led to doubts as to whether Joshua could hold a shot from Tyson Fury, who registered a second victory of the calendar when he overcame Mariusz Wach on Friday.
Chisora remains unconcerned though, admitting that he was impressed by Joshua once he had settled into the contest against Prenga.
“I don’t give a f**k [about Joshua’s punch resistance], I just want him to fight Tyson Fury. All of this nonsense [about punch resistance], you guys are not doctors, we are not doctors, we can’t say [anything about] punch resistance or that he is done.
“He is the only guy who can decide for himself if he is done and he looks good when he gets his hands going.”
Fury-Joshua is expected to take place in November, with Madison Square Garden in New York City believed to be the current frontrunner to stage the long-awaited clash.
