Sport  |  Boxing  

Joshua only boxer that can beat Fury, says Haye

By Editor |   21 April 2020   |   3:38 am  

David Haye believes Anthony Joshua (Left) is the only boxer that can beat Tyson Fury. PHOTO: TALKSPORT.COM

If anyone can beat Tyson Fury it’s Anthony Joshua, according to David Haye, reports ringnews24.com.

Joshua retained his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight championships with a revenge win over Andy Ruiz Jr in December, while Fury claimed the WBC title with a dominant seventh-round stoppage of old rival Deontay Wilder in February.

Last week Joshua said that a fight with Fury was necessary to determine the true number one heavyweight on the planet.

“I think the only person who has the artillery, the skill set, the athleticism, the clean living, the know-how, the experience, to have a chance to beat Fury right now is Anthony Joshua,” Haye told Boxing Social.

“I think he’s the only person, realistically. If you were a betting man if anyone’s got a chance they’d put [their money] on Joshua.

“So, he’s the only guy who has the tools to do it. If he lands his shots on Fury, the way Fury got put down – although his chin looked good last time – Anthony Joshua is a master boxer as well.

“They underestimate his boxing skill. He hasn’t been boxing as long as Fury has, so he’s still learning.

“I don’t know, I can see Fury outboxing Joshua long on the inside, but then again I can see Anthony Joshua letting his hands go in the middle range. He throws such quick shots.

“The way he knocked out Alexander Povetkin, the fight was uncomfortable for him for a few rounds but when he put his shots together, it was over.

“As soon as he starts tagging people, he’s so big and strong and robust. The fight he lost against Andy Ruiz Jr didn’t flatter him in any way.

“It wasn’t a split decision. It was a horrible loss and I think people [look at that too much]. Boxing doesn’t work like that.

“I lost to Carl Thompson in my 11th fight and three years later I was undisputed number one. It doesn’t matter, as long as you learn, you can come back.”

Haye refused to give a prediction on the all-British clash, saying that’s why they fight the fights.

“That’s why they have to fight because I don’t know, I genuinely don’t know,” he said.

Meanwhile, the unified heavyweight champion, Joshua, says he would welcome a fight against top contender Dillian Whyte and would be willing to face former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk as well.

Joshua has also admitted that a blockbuster fight with WBC champion Tyson Fury is required to determine the true number one heavyweight in the world.

WBC number one contender Whyte was offered a fight against Joshua at Wembley last April but rejected the offer citing the lack of preparation time.

“I know he’s been chasing a world title shot. I offered him a world title shot last year in April, he refused it,” Joshua told Sky Sports.

“Maybe he wants his hand on the WBC, but if me and Tyson Fury fight, then I know he didn’t want to fight me last year, but he’ll definitely have to fight me this time if he wants his hands on the WBC belt.

“Once I’ve beaten Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte can come and get this work as well. It won’t be that good, it will be one-sided.”

Ukrainian southpaw Usyk is guaranteed a shot at Joshua as the WBO mandatory challenger, but first, the Brit needs to get past his IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev once their flight gets rescheduled.

Usyk was expected to face rugged gatekeeper Dereck Chisora in his second fight at heavyweight but that fight now needs to be rescheduled too after the global coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the bout.

“Yeah, I think to line them all up,” said Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO championships. “You know what it is with me, you look through my resume, I take them all on.

“I will be a well-respected heavyweight in this division, knowing that I never ducked a challenge, but Usyk, Dillian Whyte, Fury, [Deontay] Wilder – they’re all on my hitlist, for sure.

“He’s a WBO mandatory challenger and if Dillian didn’t step up, Fury didn’t step up, I would take on Usyk without a shadow of a doubt.”

You may also like

8 hours ago
Nigeria’s sole surviving club in CAF’s inter-club competitions, Rivers United, are billed to host the first leg of the Confederation Cup final if they qualify for the title game.
9 hours ago
Technical director of the Nigeria Mixed Martial Arts Federation (NMMAF), Shihan Victor Akhimien, is thrilled by the strides the country’s fighters recorded at the just-concluded African Games in Ghana, saying it has shown that the sport is developing in the right direction.
9 hours ago
Starfield College’s Principal, Sarah Oyinloye, has urged school proprietors to use sports to elevate teamworkand also build their students’ character and strength.