After seeing Anthony Joshua suffer two knockdowns against Kristian Prenga, Oleksandr Usyk has delivered a knockout prediction for the Brit’s expected clash with Tyson Fury.
Their long-awaited heavyweight showdown is set to finally materialise later this year, with both former two-time world champions having completed their respective warm-up fights.
First to the stage was Fury, who encountered minimal difficulty as he banked seven rounds against the 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday.
But while Joshua, too, was seemingly facing a low-risk opponent on Saturday evening, the 36-year-old came remarkably close to suffering a first-round stoppage defeat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The initial knockdown arrived within 20 seconds of their contest, with ‘AJ’ hitting the canvas after getting caught with an unassuming right uppercut from Prenga.
He was then floored once more in the opening round, only to summon enough fighting spirit to engineer a second-round stoppage victory.
It was hardly the most convincing performance but, even so, Usyk has backed the 36-year-old to defeat Fury inside the distance.
Speaking with talkSPORT, the Ukrainian maintained his belief that Joshua, who he now considers a friend and training partner, has the tools to trump his long-time domestic rival.
“AJ win. [He will] knock him out.”
Usyk dethroned Joshua with a unanimous decision victory in 2021, before winning their immediate rematch via a split verdict the following year.
The generational great then went on to score two points wins over Fury in 2024, with many viewing their contests as being more competitive than those against ‘AJ’.
