Former heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis has questioned whether Anthony Joshua should still be fighting, telling The Ring he doubts the ex-champion belongs in the ring.
Joshua made his return to action last month in his first fight since he walked away from a car crash that killed two of his best friends last Christmas. He was dropped twice in the opening round by Kristian Prenga before stopping the Albanian in the second round to set up his long-delayed showdown with Tyson Fury.
Lewis: 'Does he really belong in the ring right now?'
"Does he really belong in the ring right now?" Lewis told The Ring. "A virtual novice put him on the ground twice in the first round. Is that it, have we seen the last of him? It's not like he's his old self."
Fury's warm-up and the Joshua fight
The night before Joshua's comeback win, Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in his own warm-up bout. Joshua and Fury signed contracts earlier this year, but no date or venue has been announced. Lewis believes Fury is now in pole position to win a fight that has been a decade in the making.
"I think Fury boxes to the level of his opposition," Lewis added. "He's trying to keep sharp for Joshua, the right thing to do, and needed to have a tick-over fight. Him going some more rounds in his legs is what he wanted and did, so just a warm-up for another fight. Obviously, this has turned into a money thing. The fight should have happened [years ago], but they want to make the fight, and can make some money out of it. You can't say either is at their best now."
Lewis: 'Both are shadows of their former selves'
"Fury is closer but both are shadows of their former selves. I'd side with Fury ... he showed me more in his two fights [against Arslanbek Makhmudov and Wach] than Joshua has recently. He boxed a YouTuber [Jake Paul], now boxed a guy who knocked him down twice and next faces Fury? That's a big step up."
