Frank Warren believes Anthony Joshua’s physique will offer little protection against Tyson Fury, saying that punch resistance and stamina favor his fighter in their heavyweight showdown.
“One thing you can’t do, you can’t put muscles on chins,” Warren said to Playbook Boxing. His argument is that Fury has recovered from heavy punishment, while Joshua’s defeats against Andy Ruiz Jr. and Daniel Dubois exposed weaknesses that strength and conditioning cannot solve.
Warren pointed to the punchers who have put Fury down, particularly Deontay Wilder, and emphasized his ability to recover. He also claimed Fury has “much more stamina than AJ.”
Joshua’s muscular build has never prevented him from being hurt. The more relevant question is what happens afterward. Against Ruiz and Dubois, he struggled to regain control once the damage was done. Fury has repeatedly survived knockdowns and found a way back into fights, giving Warren a reasonable basis for that comparison.
However, those recoveries came at a cost. Fury’s ability to survive Wilder’s punches does not guarantee he can absorb Joshua’s at this stage of his career. Warren himself described both heavyweights as being in the “late autumn” of their careers, which makes their current condition more relevant than their strongest performances years ago.
Joshua also does not need to match Fury’s endurance if he can land cleanly before the fight develops into a prolonged contest. His opportunity is to punish openings without rushing his work or leaving himself exposed to the return.
Warren acknowledged that both men can punch and argued that their willingness to commit under fire could decide the outcome. That brings his criticism back to something more specific than muscles: whether Joshua can remain effective after taking a damaging shot.
Fury’s history gives Warren confidence in that situation. Joshua’s history gives him a target to attack. Neither establishes how much punishment either heavyweight can still withstand.