TYSON FURY would beat Anthony Joshua before he stepped in the ring due to the Olympic gold medallist’s “mental vulnerabilities”, says former world champion Liam Smith.
Fury, 34, and Joshua, 33, have been linked with a heavyweight dust-up for many years but a bout has never taken place.
UK fight fans had hoped an AJ victory over Oleksandr Usyk last summer would set up a clash with The Gypsy King.
But Joshua, who had already been beaten by Usyk in 2021, was outclassed again by the 35-year-old Ukrainian as he suffered a third defeat of his professional career.
Despite the loss, talks emerged about a Fury-AJ bout at the end of last year, before those discussions broke down.
WBC champion Fury went on to beat Derek Chisora for a third time and move to 34 fights unbeaten as a pro – with the only blemish on his record coming in a controversial draw with Deontay Wilder in December 2018.
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Now an all-British dust-up between the pair seems a way off once more, with Fury set to face Usyk for the undisputed crown in early 2023.
But Smith, 34, still feels there is a good chance we see the WBC king take on Joshua – although he feels the result would be settled before they stepped through the ropes.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Yeah it could happen. They’re still both young heavyweights.
“It’s got to happen. It might not happen next or in the next six to eight months but it will happen.
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“It’s a great fight for the British public but you’d have to go with Fury.
“He doesn’t know how to lose. He’s psychologically so strong.
“Joshua has mental vulnerabilities and Tyson could probably beat him before he stepped into the ring to be honest with you.”
Meanwhile, Smith is gearing up to face Chris Eubank Jr in a middleweight contest on January 21.
The Liverpudlian, who boasts a record of 32 wins, one draw and three losses, is the bookies underdog heading into the clash.
But promoter Ben Shalom has warned Eubank he will be in for a hard night as Smith heads into the contest off the back of wins over Anthony Fowler and Jesse Vargas.
Speaking about Smith, Shalom told Sky Sports: “This is a big, big fight for him, he’s had a wonderful career, he’s done everything that he’s dreamt of, but he’s almost having an Indian summer.
“The past 12 months for him have been an amazing 12 months so people will have enjoyed watching him box.
“He’s one of the most intelligent boxers I would say in British boxing at the moment and he feels that this is a fight ready-made for him and this is the fight that he wanted.
“Liam is a big guy, he’ll be more than comfortable at that weight, it’s a weight I think he feels more comfortable at now so it’s a serious fight and Eubank will be glad that he can fight at his chosen weight as well.
“I really believe the real boxing fans know that’s a real 50-50 fight, it could go either way.
“Liam as I say is an extremely smart fighter. One thing’s for sure, they’re both come-forward fighters and it’s going to be explosive from round one. Delighted that we’re going to see it.
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“This is a real fight, this is a boxing fans’ fight. This is two big names in the sport. Liam Smith former world champion and has achieved things I think Eubank will want to achieve in the next year or two.
“So I think it’s the perfect fight at the right time.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
