Former world champion Tony Bellew has backed Anthony Joshua to knock out Tyson Fury in their long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown, which has reportedly been agreed for later this year, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Speaking on the Fight Your Corner Podcast, the former cruiserweight world champion said he was convinced the fight would not go the distance, given the power both men carry and the vulnerability each has shown in their careers.
“The only thing that I can fully, really commit to and put my hand on my heart and say, ‘I really genuinely think this is going to happen’ is that it ain’t going the distance,” Bellew said.
While stopping short of a definitive prediction on who wins, Bellew outlined the scenario in which he sees Joshua coming out on top, urging the British-Nigerian fighter to go on the offensive from the opening bell.
“The case that I could make for him is, if he gets in that ring and lets his hands go for just six rounds. Even if he thinks, ‘I am just going to let them go,’ he has got the capability of knocking anybody out,” Bellew said.
before adding, “That is what I will be predicting. Joshua could knock him out.”
Bellew, however, admitted he still needs to see Joshua perform inside the ring before fully committing to a winner. Joshua is scheduled to return on July 25 against Albanian fighter Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before the Fury bout.
Promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have both stated the Fury showdown will not proceed if Joshua loses. Prenga has won 20 of his 21 bouts, all inside the distance.
Fury, who returned to winning ways in April by defeating Arslanbek Makhmudov on points at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, carries a record of 35 wins, 24 by knockout, two losses and one draw.
Joshua last fought in December 2025, stopping YouTube personality Jake Paul in the sixth round in Miami, and holds a record of 29 wins, 26 by knockout, and four losses.
Rather than a world title, both men will fight for a specially commissioned, solid gold belt unveiled by The Ring magazine, with the “Fight of Britain” strap commissioned by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh and adorned with Union Jacks. Neither fighter holds a recognised world title heading into the bout.
Beyond the custom belt, the motivation runs deeper for both men. For over a decade, Fury and Joshua have each staked a claim to be the finest British heavyweight of their generation, and only now, both in their mid-to-late thirties, will the argument be settled.
Leave a comment