Mike Tyson has said he will always back one man to emerge victorious in an all-British heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The former two-time world champions completed their respective warm-up fights this weekend, albeit with ‘AJ’ having to survive two knockdowns against Kristian Prenga.
Remarkably, the 36-year-old was floored by a right uppercut within the first 20 seconds of their contest, before hitting the canvas once more in the opening round.
These knockdowns were made even more dramatic by the fact that, prior to Saturday evening, Prenga was given virtually no hope of an upset in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua, meanwhile, was heavily favoured to win via an early stoppage, which ultimately materialised after he dropped his opponent in round two.
Conversely, Fury appeared to encounter no real drama against the 46-year-old Mariusz Wach, who afforded him seven rounds of low-risk action in Thailand.
As a result of their victories, it now seems as though the wheels are in motion for Fury and Joshua to collide later this year, with an official announcement expected to emerge before long.
But even without having reviewed their latest performances, Tyson has told Ring Magazine that he will always favour ‘The Gypsy King’.
“If Tyson comes in right and avoids those punches, it’s going to be interesting. Joshua’s a fast puncher.
“I love Tyson Fury. [The fact he is named ‘Tyson’ is] why I can never go against him.”
Prior to his stoppage victory over Wach on Friday, Fury ended 16 months of inactivity by unanimously outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov in April.
