JOE JOYCE reckons Tyson Fury’s technique, mental strength and experience will be enough to defeat Anthony Joshua.
And the Juggernaut believes AJ’s ‘negative style’ will contribute to his undoing against his fellow Brit.
Joe Joyce is backing Tyson Fury to beat Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight showdown having sparred both menCredit: Refer to Caption
The heavyweight showdown between Fury and Joshua to unify the division is verbally agreed to take place this year.
Pundits and fighters are split over who they think will win – Carl Froch, Tony Bellew and Wladimir Klitschko are in Team AJ.
But Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr and George Foreman are backing the Gypsy King.
And Joyce is in the latter camp, believing the unbeaten WBC champ will come out on top.
The 35-year-old told the Evening Standard: “I’m going with Fury because of his performances and the way he’s come back from his lowest point to beat Deontay Wilder for the WBC.
“I think that while Joshua’s picked himself up since losing to Andy Ruiz Jr, he’s kind of been a bit too negative in his style, and been a bit wary of the shots coming back at him.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a 50-50 fight.
“Joshua has got great strength, hand speed, dedication and motivation, and he’s very competitive.
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“With Fury, you know he is mentally very strong, tactically as well.
“He’s unorthodox and hard to hit, he’s fast and he’s a bigger guy with the longer reach. For me, he has the edge.”
Joyce beat Daniel Dubois in November to land British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles.
That put him right into the mix of the discussions about a shot at a world title.
And the Putney powerhouse reckons he can take on the challenge of facing Joshua and Fury if he first sees off Oleksandr Usyk.
He added: “I think I’m ready for them both. They’re both at the top of their game.
“I’d make sure I have a great training camp and get my tactics right but I’m confident of my ability. I’ve sparred them both, we had competitive spars and it’ll be the same on fight night, just with a lot more at stake.
“If I get through Usyk and make that, and beat him, I’ve got the potential to fight the winner of AJ-Fury, which is the biggest fight. That’s all of the belts on the line.”
The Juggernaut reckons AJ’s ‘negative style’ will be costly when he takes on the Gypsy KingCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
Joyce beat Daniel Dubois in November to claim the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titlesCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun
Joe Joyce tests his reactions in the ring with a reaction ball
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
