Joe Calzaghe, Amir Khan, and Ricky Hatton are all leaning towards Tyson Fury defeating Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight unification match coming up soon.
The Fury vs. Joshua fight isn’t a done deal yet, but it’s expected to be official soon for May or June, possibly overseas in the Middle East.
Hatton, Khan, and Calzaghe feel that WBC champion Fury’s all-around game will give him an advantage over Joshua (24-1, 22 KO) on the night.
Although Joshua has superior hand speed, mobility, power, and jab, Fury is huge and very tricky.
One thing that gives Fury a big boost is his engine, as he’s capable of throwing a lot of punches without gassing.
We’ve seen with Joshua that he tires easily, and he stays tired for two to three rounds after expending energy. Aginst Fury, Joshua can’t afford to fade without getting knocked out
Calzaghe previews Joshua – Fury
“If Joshua and Fury fight, it’s going to be a tough one, but to be honest, I fancy Fury,” said Joe Calzaghe to DAZN. “The reason why I fancy Fury is that he has a lot more dimensions.
“I’m not calling Joshua one-dimensional. What I am saying is that Fury can mix it up. He can go forward; he can go backwards, he can fight, he can box.
“Fury is extremely fast for such a big guy, and as I say, ‘Speed kills.’ But with heavyweights, as you know, if they hit each other on the chin. Yeah, Joshua is a top fighter, but if I were to pick one, I’d pick Fury,” said Calzaghe.
“How exciting is it to have the two top heavyweights with Fury and Joshua. It’s unbelievable. I would have never have thought it.
“20 years ago, the [heavyweight] division was dedicated by the States. Now we’ve got the two best heavyweights are British. I think it has to be made,” said Calzaghe.
Joshua won’t beat Fury if he fights the way he did in his last contest against Kubrat Pulev, as he’s not going to outbox the tricky ‘Gypsy King.’ What Joshua needs to do is use his power game and look to land his uppercuts.
That weapon worked for Joshua to knock out Wladimir Klitschko and Pulev. Fury might be susceptible to it if Joshua can get inside.
Khan: Fury has what it takes to win
“Can AJ beat Tyson Fury? That’s a question, which a lot of people have on their mind,” said Amir Khan. “I don’t think so.
“I think Tyson Fury, in my opinion, is the best heavyweight out there. And I think with the boxing ring generalship that he has and movement that he has, I don’t see anyone touching him. I think he has everything it takes to beat AJ,” said Khan.
“I think he’s got what it takes to become a world champion and the best fighter in the world, as long as he stays focused and sticks to his game,” said Khan about Joshua.
“There’s a lot of big names out there in the heavyweight division, and the heavyweight division is renown all over the world.
“He’s proven himself, but he still has a lot to do yet and to prove that he’s number one in the world. He has the likes of Fury, and he has the likes of Wilder.
“There are so many great fighters out there. So it’s going to be a tough couple of years for AJ to prove that he’s the best out there,” said Khan.
Fury, 32, will need to take away Joshua’s left hook and uppercut because he’s already working on both of those punches to spring them the Gypsy King.
Deontay Wilder had Fury basically knocked out in the 12th round of their first fight in 2018. If Joshua can put Fury down the way that Wilder did, he’s got a chance of keeping him down.
Wilder was too uncoordinated for him to take advantage of the situation after he dropped Fury twice in their first fight.
In the rematch between them, Wilder stunned early in the third, and he never fully recovered from that. It would have been interesting to see who would have won if Wilder wasn’t hurt so early.
Hatton breaks down Fury vs. Joshua
“The prediction for AJ and Fury. Fortunately, Tyson is my friend, and he’s trained in this very gym with me,” said Ricky Hatton. “I’ve seen him in action, and I’ve seen what he’s capable of.
“You’ve all seen it first hand what he did to Wilder in his last fight when he beat the bully. He’s normally the slick boxer, switch-hitting, picking people off.
“He got really nasty in that last fight, Wilder. So, Tyson ticks every box. AJ is a ferocious finisher.
“Sometimes Tyson gets on the floor, and if AJ gets him on the floor, he may keep him. So it’s a massive, massive fight, and it could go either, but I got to go with Fury,” said Hatton.
“The AJ – Fury fight is absolutely massive. If I wasn’t a former boxer and trainer myself if I was just a boxing fan.
“When you look at boxing history and British heavyweight history, you didn’t even have a British heavyweight, you knew a few years back.
“Now we have the two best elite heavyweights in the division, and they’re both have a great contrast of characters, a great contrast of styles. This is a fight that absolutely must happen,” said Hatton.
“To have these two guys at the top of the sport, it’s got to be from a heavyweight boxing era, the best era in British heavyweight history.
“You know what I mean? For this fight now to happen, it would be a crying shame for British boxing, and it would be a crying shame for the sport in this country. That’s how I feel about the whole situation,” said Hatton.
Fury is unpredictable and incredibly crafty, making him all but impossible for Joshua to beat. If Joshua starts quickly, he’s got a chance of winning this contest, but he can’t afford to go slow early. If Fury gets going early in the fight, he’s going to hurt Joshua snd put him away.
