Fury questions Joshua’s punch resistance

Tyson Fury has questioned Anthony Joshua’s ability to withstand heavy punches, using Daniel Dubois’ stoppage victory over Fabio Wardley on Saturday night as the backdrop for a pointed assessment of his upcoming opponent’s chin, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The day after Dubois retained the WBO heavyweight title with an 11th-round stoppage of Wardley in Manchester Fury took to Instagram to highlight what he described as a telling pattern in the record of the man he is due to face later this year.

“Well, I’ve just been sat here thinking after Dubois’ unbelievable fight last night,” Fury said.

“Dubois fought ‘Big Baby’ Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. Then he fought Hrgovic, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought Wardley last night in an unbelievable fight, stopped him, and never put him down. He hit Usyk with some big bombs, never put him over.

“But yet he fights Anthony Joshua and pummels him to the floor five times. I’m not saying Anthony Joshua’s chinless, but they’re the facts. Take it as you wish and as you will. Everybody else never went over. Not a singular person — ‘Big Baby’ Miller, Hrgovic, Usyk, or Wardley — but Joshua goes down five times. Chinny!”

Dubois knocked Joshua down five times in their IBF heavyweight title fight in September 2024, stopping the British-Nigerian fighter in the fifth round. The contrast with his performances against Miller, Hrgovic, Usyk and now Wardley, none of whom were floored, formed the basis of Fury’s argument.

Fury and Joshua are contracted to meet later this year in a long-anticipated all-British showdown, with the fight expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2026.

However, the bout will only be confirmed after Joshua comes through his July 25 warm-up fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have both stated that the Fury clash will not proceed if Joshua loses to the Albanian, who has won 20 of his 21 bouts, all inside the distance.