Former two-time heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman has questioned whether Tyson Fury’s “recuperative powers” will be effective enough to defeat Anthony Joshua.
The two Brits are expected to square off later this year, yet they must first come through their respective warm-up fights.
Fury has already made his comeback by unanimously outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, but ‘The Gypsy King’ now looks set to fight one more time before his clash with AJ.
He’s expected to return in August, with unbeaten 41-year-old Nelson Hysa having been named as a potential opponent.
Either way, Joshua must defeat his confirmed opponent, Kristian Prenga, in order to secure a long-awaited domestic dustup with Fury.
The 36-year-old will face Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 25, fighting for the first time since engineering a sixth-round finish over Jake Paul in December.
Following that victory, Joshua was involved in a tragic car crash that took the lives of his two close friends, forcing him to spend the subsequent months resting both mentally and physically.
Ahead of the potential fight Rahman told B4 Champ that the damage both Fury and ‘AJ’ have taken in previous fights play a factor in their potential encounter.
“It’s a pick ’em fight. I just feel like the damage both of these guys have suffered can manifest itself in any given fight.
“You know how they say you can get old in one fight? They’re both old fighters, and they’re starting to look old, so it can happen in any given moment.
“Anthony Joshua definitely has the power to hit Tyson and hurt him. Tyson has had amazing recuperative powers his entire career, but at [some] point he’s got to go.
“If Joshua drops him, maybe he don’t get up in 10 seconds.”
Rahman admits that Fury, too, has the power to hurt his expected opponent, suggesting it can only make for an intriguing affair if they ultimately lock horns.
