Lennox Lewis suspects one man is closer to his prime as Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua remain on a turbulent collision course.
The two British heavyweights are expected to lock horns later this year, though there has been no announcement regarding a specific date and location.
Nevertheless, they both completed their respective warm-up fights last weekend, with ‘AJ’ coming through a tougher-than-expected shootout against Kristian Prenga.
While far from a formidable contender on paper, Prenga managed to floor Joshua in the first 20 seconds of their contest, landing an unassuming right uppercut in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The 36-year-old then scrambled back to his feet but was dropped a second time in the opening round, before ultimately stopping his man in the following three minutes.
Fury, on the other hand, was afforded a straightforward night’s work against the 46-year-old Mariusz Wach, who he stopped in seven rounds in Pattaya, Thailand.
This followed his unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, when the ‘Gypsy King’ ended 16 months of inactivity after suffering back-to-back points defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
Based on their recent performances, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lewis has told The Ring that he wonders whether Joshua should even still be fighting, let alone preparing for arguably the biggest showdown of his career.
“Does he really belong in the ring right now? A virtual novice put him on the ground twice in the first round. Is that it, have we seen the last of him? It’s not like he’s his old self.
“Fury is closer [to his prime] but both are shadows of their former selves. I’d side with Fury – he showed me more in his two fights [against Makhmudov and Wach] than Joshua has recently.
“He boxed a YouTuber [Jake Paul in December], now boxed a guy who knocked him down twice and next faces Fury? That’s a big step up.”
With Joshua’s punch resistance having been plunged into serious doubt, many will be agreeing with Lewis and backing his 37-year-old domestic rival.
