As Anthony Joshua’s most recent opponent, Jake Paul has given an honest assessment of how the Brit may fare against Tyson Fury later this year.
The two heavyweights are expected to collide in Q4 of 2026, just so long as they remain injury-free and win their respective warm-up fights.
Joshua’s next outing has been confirmed for July 25, when he squares off against little-known customer Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Having not fought since December, when he stopped YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in round six, ‘AJ’ will look to remain in the win column against a man who, while unproven at any notable level, is at least a fully-fledged heavyweight.
This is also his second assignment with the training team of Oleksandr Usyk, though under difficult circumstances with the 36-year-old entering his first fight since losing his two close friends to a car crash in December.
Fury, meanwhile, has teased another warm-up fight after ending a 16-month layoff by unanimously outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov in April.
The 37-year-old has hinted that he will appear on an undercard in Dublin on August 1, just a few months before he is set to face his domestic rival.
In any case, Paul is backing Joshua to win their showdown, telling Chael Sonnen that he believes his training set-up will be of a significant advantage.
“I think Joshua would win. I love Tyson Fury; I just think that, after the [Deontay] Wilder fights, he wasn’t the same [fighter]. I think [they] took a lot out of him, and I think Joshua has a massive chip on his shoulder right now.
“He’s super locked-in, training with Usyk, who I believe is one of the greatest heavyweights, if not the greatest heavyweight, of all time.
“So [Joshua’s] in the best camp, arguably – a camp that [has] already defeated Tyson Fury. Just [based on] that, and those facts, I think Joshua will win.”
Indeed, Fury had two particularly demanding encounters with Wilder in 2018 and 2021, while their rematch in 2020 – which he won by seventh-round stoppage – was largely one-way traffic.
