Former British heavyweight champion and cousin of Tyson Fury, Hughie Fury, has branded Anthony Joshua as ‘finished’ following an underwhelming comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin last month.
The 28-year-old defeated Sam Sexton in 2018 via fifth round knockout to claim the Lonsdale belt after losing for the first time in his career in a world title challenge against Joseph Parker.
Since then, the towering heavyweight has struggled when stepping up to world level, losing to both Kubrat Pulev and Alexander Povetkin, but has proven too good for the the solid Europeans such as Mariusz Wach and Christian Hammer.
He’s now planning a comeback after twice dropping out of fights with Michael Hunter due to long Covid.
In an interview with Boxing King Media, Fury signalled his intentions following an eighteen-month hiatus from the sport, and seemed to fancy his chances against Joshua, whom he believes to be well past his best.
“Stiff. [He is a] big stiff, he is shot. After Usyk, that’s it, he’s finished. That is one fight that I would like, I didn’t really rate much of the fight [against Franklin].”
“You never know, 100% [I could fight Joshua soon]. These fights can just happen at the click of a finger, so [once I] get myself back up there, these are the fights that I want. Joshua has done well out of the game, but I don’t think that he was the same fighter as what he once was.”
Many fans will be hoping that Fury will finally face Hunter after two cancelled contests and with both men looking to progress up the world rankings, although it remains to be seen how well the Brit can recover from long Covid and if the illness will have a lasting impact.