ANTHONY JOSHUA must blow away Kubrat Pulev to keep up with the runaway Tyson Fury hype train.
The Gypsy King’s incredible demolition of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas last month landed him the WBC crown.
Anthony Joshua will take on Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in JuneCredit: PA:Press Association
It set the bar sky high for AJ, 30, and the rest of the heavyweight division to follow.
And retired two-weight king David Haye says the WBA, IBF and WBO boss needs to ditch the stick-and-move tactics that earned him a points rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr to match his British rival punch for punch.
Looking ahead to the June 20 showdown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Hayemaker, 39, said: “I don’t think AJ needs to box like that against Pulev.
“He can box how he usually boxes — dynamic and explosive.
“He can go out there and use his physicality, his punch power, his angles.
“Yes, he can outbox him, but I don’t think the world wants that. The world wants to see the world heavyweight champion do what Fury did.
“If Fury can do that to Wilder, Joshua should do something similar to Pulev.”
Haye, who suffered his own shock loss to Carl Thompson in 2004 before dominating the cruiser and heavyweight ranks, trusts Joshua’s chin and mental strength.
The last time the Watford man stood firm and traded, a bloated Mexican underdog wiped him out, so he dramatically changed his style for the rerun.
But Haye — now managing Derek Chisora toward a May 23 shot at Oleksandr Usyk — says that revenge mission in Saudi Arabia will have made AJ’s mind up about his bottle.
He said: “He’s got his confidence now after that last fight.
David Haye rackons Anthony Joshua must demolish Pulev to match Tyson Fury’s hypeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Tyson Fury demolished Deontay Wilder to become WBC heavyweight championCredit: AFP or licensors
“You get confidence back real quick, once you start sparring for the next time.
“He knows that the Ruiz Jr loss was an anomaly, he proved it was an anomaly because the next time he fought him it was a whitewash.
“Pulev is a guy who is respected, he is a decent fighter. But he simply shouldn’t cause the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion of the world issues.”
Barring a coronavirus shut-down, AJ will defend his belts against a 38-year-old Bulgarian he was due to face in October 2017 before injury ruled the veteran out.
The challenger has taken a handful of keep-warm fights since — maintaining his mandatory spot with the IBF against limited opposition.
And Haye expects the younger and fresher fighter to need less than ten minutes to get his career and reputation as a terrifying KO specialist back on track.
He said: “Pulev really has not improved in the last three years. “He hasn’t done anything to suggest he is significantly better in any way, shape or form.
“I envisage two or three rounds at best, Joshua looking spectacular, looking like the old Joshua that everyone knows, loves and supported after that little hiccup.
“Once this fight is over, I think everyone will think, ‘OK, Ruiz was a blemish on his career’ and move on.
“The same way people don’t talk about Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall beating Lennox Lewis.
“Lennox got revenge in the rematches and how often do their names get brought up, other than as examples of anomalies?”
Anthony Joshua hits back at Tyson Fury claiming ‘he’s only had two good fights’ as war of words heats up for blockbuster clash
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
