Carl Frampton Backs Fury Over Joshua After Both Brits Stumble

Carl Frampton has picked a side. After spending months on the fence over a Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua clash, the former two-weight world champion now makes Fury a 60/40 favourite for the November showdown — a pick that landed right after both heavyweights turned in performances that raised more questions than they answered last weekend.

The context matters here. Fury, 37, ground through seven forgettable rounds against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach before the veteran retired on his stool, extending Fury's record to 36-2-1 (25 KO). Joshua's night was messier: the 29-4 (26 KO) former unified champ was nearly finished inside the opening 20 seconds against Kristian Prenga, hit the canvas twice in round one, then hauled himself up to stop his man before the round was out.

Frampton's Read

Speaking to Boxing Now, Frampton said Joshua still carries a live puncher's chance — the power's real enough that AJ could land and end it. But he suspects the more likely result is a Fury win, and he's not alone in shifting that way. Where he couldn't split them before, he now leans toward the Gypsy King while admitting an AJ knockout wouldn't shock him.

He didn't hand Joshua an easy pass, either. Frampton called the opening round a disaster and flagged what he sees as a recurring flaw — AJ's slow starts, which no heavyweight can afford. He also noted Joshua's legs looked stiff, something that seemed to bother him throughout. Whatever the cause, Frampton gave full marks for the bravery it took to climb off the deck twice and still get the finish.

The Bigger Picture

There's a story in the timing. Joshua is coming off a sixth-round KO of Jake Paul, a result that padded the record but told us little about where he stands against elite opposition. Fury, ranked #3 at heavyweight, hasn't looked sharp either. Two underwhelming tune-ups is not the ideal marketing runway for a fight that's supposed to be the biggest in British boxing history.

Assuming both camps agree on a date and venue, Joshua vs Fury is pencilled in for November and set to stream on Netflix. On last weekend's evidence, the hype machine has some work to do — but a fight where one man got dropped twice and the other only won because his opponent quit is exactly the kind of chaos that sells tickets.