Anthony Joshua Urged to Delay Tyson Fury Fight After Knockdown Scare

The talkSPORT Boxing panel questioned Joshua’s punch resistance and recovery despite his second-round knockout of Kristian Prenga in Jeddah.

Anthony Joshua’s comeback knockout of Kristian Prenga failed to silence doubts about his condition, with the talkSPORT Boxing panel instead focusing on the two first-round knockdowns he suffered. The analysts urged Joshua to postpone a proposed Tyson Fury fight, arguing his punch resistance and recovery remain major concerns.

The show’s discussion, titled “Shot To Pieces,” featured Spencer Oliver, Paul Smith and John Rawling, who all questioned whether Joshua returned to the ring too soon and argued he should postpone any Fury fight until after Christmas.

“I had my heart in my mouth,” said Spencer Oliver to talkSPORT. “The punch resistance of Anthony Joshua tonight was actually shocking. The second knockdown… the powers of recovery just weren’t there. He was all over the place. Honestly, I had my heart in my hand thinking it’s all over. It’s done… I think what we saw tonight was Anthony Joshua getting in the ring too soon.”

Paul Smith agreed.

“He shouldn’t have been in there tonight. I think tonight just proved that that was too soon. The big fight before Christmas, I would love to see that after Christmas. I think he needs a bit more time to recover mentally. He’s not ready mentally.”

Rawling shared the same concern.

“I hated seeing him like that. Really hated it. It was everything you feared might happen. He looked shot to pieces. He looked as though he got zero punch resistance. I’m an admirer of Anthony Joshua and seeing him like that was very, very painful.”

Although Joshua produced a spectacular knockout after surviving the opening-round scare, the panel felt the victory raised more questions than it answered. They praised his finishing power but agreed his durability looked like the biggest concern heading into any future bout with Fury.

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