Joe Joyce: ‘Anthony Joshua is ‘too wary of getting hit’ to win Tyson Fury heavyweight unification fight

Joe Joyce has backed Tyson Fury to win the £200million heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua because Joshua is too wary of getting hit.

The British heavyweight has had experience of sparring against both of his countrymen in the division and believes Fury holds the edge.

Joyce could lie in wait for the winner of the Joshua-Fury double header following his own planned fight against Oleksandr Usyk.

And the 35-year-old Londoner told Standard Sport: “I’m going with Fury because of his performances and the way he’s come back from his lowest point to beat Deontay Wilder for the WBC.

“I think that while Joshua’s picked himself up since losing to Andy Ruiz Jr, he’s kind of been a bit too negative in his style, and been a bit wary of the shots coming back at him.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a 50-50 fight, Joshua has got great strength, hand speed, dedication and motivation, and he’s very competitive. With Fury, you know he is mentally very strong, tactically as well. He’s unorthodox and hard to hit, he’s fast and he’s a bigger guy with the longer reach. For me, he has the edge.”

Joyce edged closer to a heavyweight world title in beating Daniel Dubois last year, and negotiations are ongoing over a fight against Usyk, whom Joyce faced and lost to in the amateur ranks. The winner of that fight would be the prime candidate to face the winner of Joshua and Fury in 2021.

Of his own chances, Joyce, who is working with Purplebricks to encourage the nation to get behind Team GB on their journey to Tokyo, said: “I think I’m ready for them both. They’re both at the top of their game.

"I’d make sure I have a great training camp and get my tactics right but I’m confident of my ability. I’ve sparred them both, we had competitive spars and it’ll be the same on fight night just with a lot more at stake.

“If I get through Usyk and make that, and beat him, I’ve got the potential to fight the winner of AJ-Fury, which is the biggest fight. That’s of belts on the line.”

Joyce has been arguably the most unheralded of the current crop of British heavyweights. He was unfancied against the explosive Dubois but comfortably dominated that fight.

“I’m used to that kind of thing as I guess in the GB team I was always in Joshua’s shadow," he says. "I’ve always been a bit stealth and under the radar. The fight against Dubois was like my big coming out fight. Now my face is being included with all the top names so I’m going in the right direction.”

Joe Joyce is working with Purplebricks to encourage the nation to get behind Team GB on their journey to Tokyo with the same amazing home support as London 2012. Visit @PurplebricksUK on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

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