WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has expressed that he should not be compared to Tyson Fury due to achieving significant success in a shorter timeframe.
Both heavyweight boxers have agreed financial terms on a two-fight deal set for next year. However, Joshua, 30, believes that Fury, 32, is ‘five or six years’ ahead of him in boxing terms.
During an interview with GQ Middle East, Joshua stated: “Being a world champion, with all those knockouts, you do feel kind of unstoppable. But realistically, in boxing terms, I’m way ahead of where I should be. I’m working at such a quick pace. I shouldn’t even be in a position where I’m mentioned in Tyson Fury’s era. He’s five or six years ahead of me in terms of turning professional. In fact, when he was turning pro, I was just putting on my gloves for the first time.”
Despite Fury becoming the number one ranked boxer in the heavyweight division after defeating Deontay Wilder for the WBC title in February, Joshua does not consider him a ‘massive threat’.
Joshua continued, “Tyson needs educating. All of us athletes do. We often didn’t go far in school, so a lot of our comments and actions aren’t great. But let’s talk about him as a boxer. I don’t find him intimidating and I haven’t seen him do anything in the ring where I think, ‘this guy is going to be a massive threat’. He’s talented and he’s awkward, and that’s often enough to get you quite far in life.”
