Anthony Joshua came close to a catastrophic defeat upon his ring return last month, which almost spoiled plans to take on Tyson Fury later in the year. Now, Fury’s uncle and former trainer, Peter Fury, has offered his assessment of Joshua’s remaining ability, ahead of his long-awaited showdown with ‘The Gypsy King’.
‘AJ’ received some criticism when it was announced that his ‘warm-up’ would be against Albania’s Kristian Prenga – a lesser-known operator despite a solid pre-fight record of 20-1, with all 20 of those wins coming inside of the distance but against questionable opposition.
However, come fight night, Prenga proved that either his punch power was genuine or that Joshua’s punch resistance had declined, as he twice floored the two-time world champion in a shocking opening round.
Joshua responded with an emphatic second-round knockout, but the first three minutes of the affair have led to concerns from fans as to whether the 36-year-old should be thrust into a clash with Fury or if he should prioritise his health and walk away from the sport.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Fury dismissed suggestions that Joshua could no longer hold a shot, questioning his mental state rather than his physical state.
“His chin has not gone, I don’t believe anything of that. I think he is just making mistakes that are probably a lot down to his state of mind, more than preparation.
“The mind works the body, the mind controls everything. So, when that mind is not 100% in gear – and it needs to be in boxing – you can be boxing anybody and have a bad night at the office. It can happen.”
Fury, who trained Rico Verhoeven in his scrap with Oleksandr Usyk in May, believes Joshua needs another fighter before jumping in the ring with Tyson.
“I think it would be a good idea for him [to another fight]. I think that he needs to get out again. You don’t jump from that [Prenga performance] into a big fight. Have another one.
“If it’s not just about the money and he wants to win, then take another one. Yeah, so for me, if I was them, I would take another one and get it right because what he showed there, wasn’t. There was a lot of holes in his work.”
Nevertheless, it seems as though Fury and Joshua will square-off next, in what could be a career finale for both men.
