Usyk Backs Joshua to Stop Fury — Right After AJ Gets Dropped Twice

Here's a prediction with terrible timing. Moments after watching Anthony Joshua get floored twice inside the first round against journeyman Kristian Prenga, Oleksandr Usyk went on talkSPORT and backed AJ to stop Tyson Fury inside the distance. Joshua, 36 and now 29-4 (26 KO), needed less than 20 seconds to hit the canvas the first time in Jeddah on Saturday, caught by an unremarkable right uppercut before going down again in the same round.

Somehow, he pulled it back. Joshua dug out a second-round stoppage to keep the show on the road for a Fury fight that's finally been penciled in for later this year. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't reassuring — but it counts.

The Warm-Ups That Weren't Convincing

Fury handled his own tune-up with far less drama. He banked seven rounds against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday before the veteran retired on his stool, moving Fury to 36-2-1 (25 KO). Two former two-time world champions, two low-risk assignments, two very different levels of comfort. Joshua's near-disaster is the story; Fury's was a walk in the park.

Usyk, still unbeaten at 25-0 (16 KO) and sitting as lineal champion, isn't exactly a neutral voice here. He now calls Joshua a friend and training partner, and he made clear he thinks AJ has the tools to solve his long-time domestic rival. Which is quite the take from the man who's beaten both of them.

Usyk's Receipts

And the receipts are worth remembering. Usyk dethroned Joshua by unanimous decision in 2021, then edged the rematch on a split card in 2022. He followed that with two points wins over Fury in 2024 — bouts most observers saw as tighter and more competitive than either of his fights with Joshua. If you're taking Usyk's word on who wins AJ-Fury, note that his own history suggests Fury pushed him harder.

So the pick lands with an asterisk the size of a heavyweight. Usyk sees Joshua stopping Fury; the tape from Jeddah shows Joshua getting stopped by a nobody in the opening exchanges. Both things happened on the same weekend. Make of that what you will before AJ and Fury finally settle it.