Anthony Joshua watched Tyson Fury closely during his victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov—and, by his own account, identified clear weaknesses.
Anthony Joshua watched Tyson Fury’s comeback victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April up close—and, by his own admission, didn’t see only strengths. The former heavyweight world champion sat ringside to closely study his potential opponent for the big British showdown later this year.
After Fury’s decision victory, the “Gypsy King” challenged Joshua to come into the ring. The 36-year-old, however, remained seated. “The contracts hadn’t been signed yet at that point. If they had been signed, I would have gone into the ring,” Joshua told DAZN. “I was there on a scouting mission. I saw a lot—some good things, but also some weaknesses.”
Joshua himself will return to the ring on July 25 in Saudi Arabia to face Kristian Prenga. After that, the path to the long-awaited showdown with Fury should be clear. Joshua has already laid out clear conditions for a possible next face-off: “If he wants, he can come to Jeddah after my victory. Then he can come into my territory. I’m the host there.”
For Joshua, however, the fight against Prenga is more than just a warm-up bout. After the tragic car accident in Nigeria, in which two close friends lost their lives, he didn’t want to go straight into the bout with Fury. Instead, the fight against Prenga is intended to help him regain his confidence and former strength.
To that end, Joshua completely changed his training environment. After his loss to Daniel Dubois, he left the UK and joined Oleksandr Usyk’s training camp in Valencia. “Usyk is the best in the world. So I wanted to see what he does and what boundaries he pushes,” Joshua said.
The focus is especially on conditioning. “One of my biggest problems was my endurance. It’s not just about circuit training, but about boxing-specific conditioning—sparring, punching bag work, shadow boxing, and lots of rounds to improve focus and boxing IQ.”
Joshua has put other business projects on hold for now and is once again focusing entirely on the sport. “I need to get back to the point where all my ambitions are centered on boxing.” The plan is clear: first beat Prenga, then Fury—and in the process, become the devastating Joshua of years past once again.
Text by Robin Josten