Tyson Fury is predicting that IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will beat Anthony Joshua in their rematch and send him into retirement.
Despite virtually the entire boxing world warning Joshua NOT to fight Usyk a second time, he’s ignored the advice from fans & media to steer clear of the talented Ukrainian.
Fury feels that Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) is too robotic and limited for him to beat Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs). He views Joshua as a fighter that was gifted his gold medal in the 2012 Olympics in London after the Cuban fighter Erislandy Savon was robbed in the first round.
According to Fury, Joshua was exposed when he fought Andy Ruiz Jr in their first fight in New York in June 2019.
“He got a gift for a gold medal in London [Olympics in 2012], he robbed the Cuban kid [Erislandy Savon]in the first fight and shouldn’t have gotten a medal,” said Tyson Fury to ESPN when asked for his opinion of Anthony Joshua.
“As soon as he stepped up a level, he got chinned [by Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019],” Fury continued about Joshua. “He tried going over to America where the real fights are and he got absolutely obliterated by a fat kid on two weeks’ notice.
“So do I think he’s a good fighter? Hell, no, I don’t think he’s a good fighter. I think he’s a useless bum. Then he fought a boxer that was a foot shorter than him and out of his weight, and he got outboxed,” Fury said of Joshua losing to Oleksandr Usyk last September.
It’s quite possible that Fury will end up being right about Joshua losing to Usyk, and then retiring in a huff. Joshua has too much pride to stay in the sport as a gatekeeper type, and his flaws are too severe for any trainer to correct.
“He never had the guts to take it to the man and try and win the fight,” said Fury about Joshua failing to pressure Usyk. “He won’t get past Oleksandr Usyk in his next fight. His career is over.
“I think he’s a good boxer, a very talented cruiserweight fighter, but I don’t think he’s any great shake,” said Fury when asked about his view on Usyk. “He’s very hittable, he’s small, he’s light, he’s not fast. He’s okay. He’s a decent boxer, like Muhammad Ali.
“I think he’s similar to Tomasz Adamek. I think he’s on that level. The same size, the same speed,” said Fury about Usyk.