Junior Fa, a former heavyweight professional who has sparred Anthony Joshua, has given his verdict on a potential fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury. The two British boxing stars are set for warm-up bouts this week ahead of a hoped-for mega-fight in November.
Fa's Prediction for Joshua vs Fury
Fa, who has also faced Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker, told Mirror Fighting: "It's a tricky one for AJ. I reckon this is a hard fight for him. I do see him, kind of, more on the hunt for Fury. I think AJ knows that he can knock him out."
"That's what I believe too. I reckon AJ can knock him out. So it's just about really trying to force a fight with Tyson Fury. Because in a boxing match, I can only see Tyson Fury pulling away on points. Just moving around."
Fury's Strengths
Fa highlighted Fury's abilities: "So I think the only option that's kind of left for AJ is just to make this a fight. Don't wait too long either, because Tyson Fury's so good, man. He's so good. He'll just rack up the rounds. He's such a giant."
"Long arms, long levers, great fitness and he can fight going forward and backwards. Not many tall fighters like that can. He can make it ugly if he wants to and outbox you. Fury is a very, very clever boxer, especially for a guy his size."
Joshua's Punching Power
Fa also shared insights from sparring Joshua: "Joshua can punch. He's like an all-around type of fighter. He's fast and he doesn't telegraph his punches. He's a hard puncher. I was like, dang, this guy's a beast. But he was serious. Joshua was there to work."
"Joshua was there to train. In sparring, you don't go light. I remember one time when we were getting ready to spar, Joe Cordina had just finished and he wasn't the best at sparring. Joshua shouted, 'You have got to take every spar like a fight. You've got to keep that mentality.' I didn't really treat it like that. But after that trip, that was kind of when I really focused on my sparring. Joshua was very serious about his work."
