Mike Tyson warns Anthony Joshua over lack of speed for undisputed fight with Tyson Fury

The former world heavyweight champion doubts that Joshua possesses enough speed to unsettle the Gypsy King

Jack Rathborn
Wednesday 24 March 2021 16:05 GMT
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Joshua has been warned by Tyson that he lacks speed to topple Fury
Joshua has been warned by Tyson that he lacks speed to topple Fury (Getty)

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Mike Tyson has warned Anthony Joshua he lacks enough speed to defeat Tyson Fury in their undisputed world heavyweight title fight.

Tyson believes Fury’s elusiveness will allow him to bamboozle Joshua when they eventually meet in the ring to unify all four belts in the sport’s premier division, after contracts were signed earlier this month for a two-fight deal.

Fury was able to dismantle Deontay Wilder to rip the WBC title away from the American last year, and Tyson doubts Joshua possesses the same speed as the Bronze Bomber to even stand a chance against Fury.

“I f***ing love Joshua, but I think Tyson [Fury] is too elusive. He's not going to be able to hit him,” Tyson told Haute Living

“I like Joshua a lot, and maybe he punches harder than Wilder, but he doesn't punch faster than Wilder.

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“And if he doesn't punch faster than Wilder he's not going to f***ing touch this guy.

“That's just what I see. If Tyson Fury can get away from Wilder's fast punches, Joshua might be in trouble.”

The location for the fight remains unclear, with promoter Eddie Hearn looking to sell to the highest bidder.

“I had an approach, not from the Middle East, but it was the most bizarre approach,” Hearn said.

“I can’t say who it was but it was from a very wealthy individual and he wants to do something very special. We’ve had 20 approaches for this fight but you know which ones are serious.

“But this one was just well out there. And it’s a realistic option, money is not an issue with this guy. Commercially it’s a bit strange, but it’s not about that. It’s a trophy asset to say... ‘this is the biggest event in the world’.

“And that’s the mindset of an individual who wants to bring it to his own country. It’s not about selling tickets, it’s not about government investment... it would him be saying ‘I’d be paying for it’.

“There’s a number for the fight, you hit the number, you get the fight and the number was not an issue for this individual.

“Saudi have paid the site fee before, we’ve worked together before, it’s not complicated, it’s just about tying up the dates, but this offer is a bit different. All I will say is it’s in Asia. Not Macau but not far away”.

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