Boxing
Tyson Fury begins the mind games with ‘secret’ Anthony Joshua warm-up fight
Joshua vs. Prenga: Only on DAZN PPV - Saturday
It’s a unique fight week where two direct rivals, in this case, British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, compete within 24 hours of each other.
On Friday in Thailand, Fury takes on Mariusz Wach, and then it is Joshua’s turn as he faces Kristian Prenga, exclusively live on DAZN PPV and Ultimate Tier, the following evening.
Joshua’s bout is very public. Taking place in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, the promotion vehicle is in full swing. Fight posters are plastered across buses in the UK while adverts are hard to miss in all forms of media.
For Fury’s clash with Wach, it’s a lot quieter, a rare occurrence for ‘The Gypsy King’.
Why Anthony Joshua knows he will beat Tyson Fury
The heavyweight contest is set for the Max Muaythai Stadium in Pattaya, and it is one which will only be witnessed by those in attendance. There is no broadcaster and any footage will only be available for the public during the next series of the At Home with the Furys documentary.
One of the reasons for this fight is allowing Fury to raise money for charity, he has stated that there will be no profit, but there is another factor at play and that’s to begin the mind games with Joshua, and psychological warfare is something which Fury thrives in.
Not giving Joshua an early look ahead of mega-fight
When sat ringside for Fury’s win over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, Joshua explained the reason for his attendance was to scout out a future opponent.
While you would not expect Joshua to be watching this contest live the day before his meeting with Prenga, Fury clearly is not wanting to take any chances.
The clash with Joshua later this year will have a major impact on Fury’s legacy. He is in an interesting place when it comes to the British boxing fandom. ‘The Gypsy King’ is still respected, but his regular yo yoing in and out of retirement has seen a large number lose their patience.
A defeat to Joshua after spending several years trash talking would be catastrophic for Fury, and by effectively fighting ‘behind closed doors’, he is not giving AJ any chance of seeing any possible areas to exploit before they meet.
Influence Joshua’s performance
You would expect once Fury’s fight with Wach is over, the result will be made public along with the method of victory.
If Fury does beat the Polish veteran, especially by knockout or stoppage, there will be an emphasis on Joshua to deliver at least the same performance.
For Joshua, his best chance to return to the top of the heavyweight division is to go back to his roots and become the wrecking machine which saw him become a must-see operator inside the ring.
However, there have been times in recent years where Joshua’s decision to go looking for the knockout have backfired, take the defeat to Daniel Dubois as an example.
His next opponent Prenga is certainly a level below Dubois, but all 20 of his wins come by way of knockout, so the Albanian does have serious power, and he knows if he can rock AJ, quite often the former world champion can buckle.
For Fury, he will likely not gain much from Friday’s fight against Wach, it’s a simple tick over.
But the influence it could have on Joshua is significant when he laces up the gloves 24 hours later, and for ‘The Gypsy King’, that will be all part of his plan to unsettle his eventual foe ahead of a seismic encounter.
Joshua vs. Prenga - exclusively on DAZN PPV
Watch Anthony Joshua versus Kristian Prenga on Saturday, July 25, as part of a huge 24 hours of boxing on DAZN PPV.
Buy as a one-off PPV or included along with Spence Jr. vs. Tszyu on the same night, and Moses Itauma vs. Hrgovic (Aug 29) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct) PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
