Both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury won fights over the weekend but in judging both performances, former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson believes Fury has the edge against Joshua for their end-of-year fight.
Fury beat Mariusz Wach by TKO in the seventh round of their fight in Thailand on July 24, whilst Joshua won with a second-round KO against Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Saudi Arabia.
With both fighters winning, they are set for a blockbuster clash in November with New York’s Madison Square Garden seemingly the likely venue, although many people are calling for it to be Wembley Stadium.
Nelson watched the Joshua fight closely and believes that weaknesses in his game will be exploited by Fury.
Weekend’s biggest results
Analysing the weekend fights, Nelson explained on Sky Sports: “Listen, I’m an AJ fan, but it comes down to what we saw this weekend.
“The shots that caught Joshua on Saturday – that sneaky little uppercut on the inside, the one that caught him again – those are natural shots for Tyson Fury.
“Heart, determination, desire and want, I put all of that in Joshua’s corner.
“But on Saturday’s performance and on Friday’s, it’s Fury for me.
“And believe me, it takes something for me to say that, because if I’m honest with you, I never thought we’d see Anthony Joshua in the ring again.”
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Joshua’s personal battles
Nelson addressed the car crash that Joshua was in, which he lost his friend to, saying the grief and struggles are showing up in the ring.
He stated: “I thought it would take him so long to get over what happened emotionally, mentally, spiritually.
“I think being in the ring, being in the gym training, is probably what has kept him on the path of trying to get himself right again.
“Watching him on Saturday, you could still see it bubbling over the top, still see a guy struggling to come to terms with something most people will never experience.
“It put a lump in my throat.
“Just to get in the ring alone was an amazing feat and hats off to him for that.”
An exciting fight
A shaky start to Joshua’s fight saw him knocked down twice in the first round before he knocked out Prenga in the second.
The vulnerability on display from Joshua is what Nelson thinks will make for an exciting fight.
Nelson added: “The first round happened, and I thought what most people thought – ‘he’s gone, his punch resistance has gone.’
“But then it was a case of, ‘Oh my goodness, this fight is going to be so exciting.’
“He was hit, he was hurt, he looked vulnerable.
“Nigel Benn looked vulnerable too and he was a dangerous fighter every time he got in a ring.
“Joshua is not the fighter he was, but that vulnerability is exactly what will make the Fury fight such compelling viewing.”
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Next fight awaits
Joshua’s performance left some questioning whether or not he’s ready to take on Fury, but Nelson says the boxers’ next fight must be against each other.
He said: “The risk is clear if they don’t fight each other soon. Look at Saturday night. So it has to be their next fight.
“Prenga has a knockout record – he can hit and he can hurt – but he shouldn’t have been in Anthony Joshua’s league, point blank.
“There’s a word for AJ, though: mercurial.
“He has so much talent but it’s a case of which version of Anthony Joshua turns up.
“The talented fighter we know wasn’t there in Jeddah. The guts and the heart were, because after 20 seconds he was down and had to get back up again.
“But he was still making rookie mistakes, and you just shouldn’t be making those mistakes at this stage of your career.
“You’ve got to give him a pass, though, because remember what he’s coming from.”
Not about money
Nelson is sure that both fighters will be after something much deeper than the huge sums of money a fight of that stature will draw, especially for AJ who’s had such a hard time over the past year.
The former boxer continued: “Boxing for him [Joshua] isn’t about the money. I think it’s about creating some kind of stability inside himself.
“They were boys when this started and they’re men now.
“They’ve had the losses and they’ve had the highs, and they need each other to bring the best out of each other.
“That’s why, even with both men past their best, it’s even more exciting now.
“The fight won’t begin when the first bell goes. It begins in the build-up, in the gamesmanship, in how one fighter gets into the head of the other.”
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Discussing the venue
With both the USA and England being mentioned for the fight’s location, Nelson had his say on where it should happen.
He admitted: “Of course it has to take place in the UK. I just don’t think it will.
“They can make as much noise as they want, and we want it here.
“I think this is going stateside because that’s where the audience is and that’s where the paymaster realistically wants it as well.
“Imagine being a fan in November at Wembley, up in the tier seats, freezing cold, waiting for a 2am first bell.
“I understand historically it should be here, but I personally think it’ll end up in America.
“Either way, this fight is five years behind. We’ve always wanted to see it, so whatever we get from both fighters, we’re going to make the most of it.”
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