Tyson Fury Sees One-Sided Joshua vs. Itauma Fight

Fury says Joshua is past his best and backs Itauma to reach the top if he defeats Filip Hrgovic on August 29.

Tyson Fury does not believe Anthony Joshua versus Moses Itauma is a competitive fight. He says Joshua is past his best and believes Itauma can claim a heavyweight world title if he defeats Filip Hrgovic on August 29.

“One man’s past his best. So, you know, one man’s on the rise. If one man’s on the edge and one man’s on the rise, then it’s not really a fight. It was a bit like when Chavez fought De La Hoya: one man was at the end of his career, one man was on the rise of his career. So yeah, it’s not a fight that will ever happen,” said Fury to Pro Boxing Fans.

Joshua returns Saturday against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah. Itauma faces the toughest assignment of his career on August 29 when he meets Filip Hrgovic. Fury believes that contest will reveal if the young heavyweight is ready to claim a world title.

“I think it’s a tough fight, especially for a young lad. I don’t know how old he is now, 21 or 22 or something like that. Acid test. He hasn’t really had a test before. This is his first acid test really. If he comes through this, then I think he’s definitely going to win the world championship,” said Fury.

“This should be a championship of the world. Like the IBF should put their belt on the line for Moses versus Hrgovic because they’re two highly rated IBF title contenders. Hrgovic is big, tall, Olympic pedigree, hundreds of amateur fights, and he’s been in there with some of the best heavyweights in the world. He’s not like 40 years old. The man’s 33 or 34, so he’s in his prime. He’s had a small amount of fights. He’s a tough game man. So it’s definitely a good acid test for Moses, a potential banana skin for sure.”

Fury’s comments leave little doubt about his opinion of both heavyweights. He sees Joshua on the downside of his career. Itauma, in his view, has the ability to reach the top of the division if he clears the Hrgovic hurdle later this summer.