Tyson Fury Doubts Joshua-Itauma Even Happens — And Won't Call It a Fight

Tyson Fury isn't buying Anthony Joshua against Moses Itauma as a genuine contest. Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, the #3-ranked heavyweight framed it as a collision of career trajectories rather than a competitive matchup — one man on the edge of retirement, the other on the way up. Joshua is 36 with a 29-4 (26 KO) record; Itauma is 21, unbeaten at 14-0 (12 KO), and already the division's #6.

Fury reached for a historical parallel, comparing it to Julio Cesar Chavez facing Oscar De La Hoya in 1996 — a legend past his prime against a rising star. His point was blunt: if one fighter is winding down and the other is climbing, it's not really a fight at all. Coming from a man who's shared the ring with both eras of the heavyweight scene, the dismissal carries weight.

The Road In Front of Both Men

Before any of this materialises, Joshua has housekeeping. He returns Saturday in Jeddah against Kristian Prenga — his first outing since stopping Jake Paul inside six rounds last December. That win over Paul (now 12-2) was followed by a personal tragedy, a car crash in Nigeria that Joshua has spoken about recovering from both physically and mentally.

Itauma, meanwhile, has a far tougher assignment than a warm-up. He meets seasoned contender Filip Hrgovic at London's O2 Arena on August 29, and the expectation is that a win lands him a world title shot. His last performance — a fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin — did nothing to slow the hype train.

Fury's Own Timeline

Fury has hardly been sitting still. He outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov unanimously back in April, and today he steps in against Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand — a second warm-up in a busy stretch. His record now reads 36-2-1 (25 KO), and he's still ranked above both Joshua and Itauma at #3.

The subtext is obvious. Joshua has reportedly agreed to face Fury later this year, yet has also floated openness to the Itauma challenge. Fury, unsurprisingly, would rather keep the focus on a rivalry that actually sells — and off a matchup he clearly rates as a mismatch. Whether AJ picks the young lion or the old rival, he first has to get past Prenga.