It seems like Tyson Fury’s mind games have already started with Anthony Joshua, as he has claimed that Deontay Wilder is still the second-best heavyweight in the world, despite having dominated the ‘Bronze Bomber’ back in February.
‘The Gypsy King’ has also stated that if the latter were to face off in the ring, Wilder would knock Joshua out.
Although Joshua currently holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, Fury still places him below Wilder, which he stated in an interview with Queensbury Promotions YouTube channel.
“Deontay Wilder is the second-best heavyweight in the world. I believe he knocks Anthony Joshua out and everyone behind me.”
Fury continued to back up his thoughts by saying: “Everybody else out there, I think he knocks them out because me being a master boxer and people think ‘just go forward on Deontay Wilder now you knock him out”.
It is also worth noting that Wilder’s only career defeat came at the hands of Fury. So, Fury’s theory of boxers believing they can follow in his steps and go forward on Wilder is understandable, in the matter that future opponents of Wilder may go looking for the knockout and find themselves getting dropped.
Fury also says that it was not just the matter of him going forward during his fight with Wilder either, and more so that he was calm and calculated.
“The fact of the matter is if they watch the tape I’m not just going forward, I was using feints, I was using a calculated jab, I was going up and downstairs, hitting the body and hitting the head.”
A fight between Wilder and Joshua would certainly be an interesting spectacle, with both men possessing real knockout power, it would be hard to imagine the fight going anywhere near the distance.
Fury is known for his mind games and mental battles with his opponents, like the battle of sweating it out in a sauna with Wladimir Klitschko some time before the pair fought. Fury saw this as his gateway to beating the Ukrainian.
Could this be the first of the mind games that Fury will play with Joshua in order to get in his head and gain a mental advantage going into their fight next year?