Kabayel Picks Fury Over Joshua, But Warns of AJ's One-Hand Power

Agit Kabayel has traded rounds with both men headed to Cardiff on December 11, and the unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion isn't hedging much. Speaking to Ring Magazine, the 27-0 (19 KO) titlist tipped Tyson Fury to beat Anthony Joshua on points or by stoppage when the pair finally meet at the Principality Stadium.

Kabayel's logic leans on the numbers. Fury (36-2-1, 25 KO) carries the #3 ranking and, in Kabayel's read, the sharper boxing brain. But the champ was careful not to write off Joshua, 29-4 with 26 knockouts — he reckons AJ is the one heavyweight who can end a night with a single punch, pointing to the venom in that right hand.

Recent Form Cuts Both Ways

The betting narrative favours Fury, and his recent résumé backs it. He outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov and forced a seventh-round retirement out of Mariusz Wach — neither a highlight reel, but neither flirted with disaster. The 'Gypsy King' got in, got out, and kept the Cardiff date intact.

Joshua's July outing told a different story. Kristian Prenga put the 36-year-old down twice in the opening round and came close to blowing up the whole promotion. AJ steadied himself and stopped Prenga inside the next three minutes, which tells you everything about the fight: vulnerability and power in the same package.

That's the tension Kabayel is circling. One man has the IQ and the cleaner recent work. The other has the kind of pop that makes any scorecard irrelevant. Kabayel landed on Fury but tacked on the obligatory 'we will see' — the honest answer when both fighters are 36 and 38 respectively and clearly past their peaks.

There's self-interest in play, too. Kabayel wants the winner. The expectation is that Fury and Joshua are fighting for the WBA 'super' title, which sets up a unification bout with the Cardiff victor — and the champ, riding a third-round TKO of Damian Knyba, is keen to make it. First, though, Britain's two biggest names have to settle their own argument.