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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Harry Davies

Tyson Fury backs Deontay Wilder to knock out “bum” Anthony Joshua

Tyson Fury has predicted his former opponent Deontay Wilder would knockout Anthony Joshua in three rounds if the pair fought.

Wilder and Joshua have been linked to fight each other for several years, with Eddie Hearn stating in 2018 that'AJ' would fight the American in a unification bout.

Joshua held three world titles at that point whilst Wilder had reigned as WBC champion for several years, defending his belt six times.

But a highly-anticipated fight between the two heavy hitters would never materialise and they would both go on to lose their titles.

Joshua lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk in his last fight whilst Wilder dropped his WBC belt in his 2020 rematch with Fury.

Anthony Joshua lost his heavyweight titles last September (Getty Images)

And 'The Gypsy King' has backed Wilder in a hypothetical fight between the two top heavyweights.

"I'd say Deontay Wilder would KO the bum inside 3 rounds," Fury wrote about the fight on Twitter.

Joshua will try and become a three-time heavyweight champion by seeking to avenge his loss against Usyk when he rematches the Ukrainian later this year.

Fury has fought Wilder three times, stopping him twice after fighting to a controversial draw in their first meeting four years ago.

Wilder pondered retirement after his recent loss to Fury, but has promised he will not give up on his boxing career stating "the best is yet to come".

When speaking before his last fight with Fury, Wilder's manager Shelly Finkel said the American would face Joshua regardless of the result.

How a fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder go? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

“We’d definitely fight him, win or lose," Finkel told The Sun about Wilder facing Joshua.

"If I was managing Joshua, a rematch is where I would go (next). I'm looking out for Deontay, and that's all I'm looking out for, but I have been a fan of Joshua.

"He's been a good representative of the heavyweight division. He needs to redeem himself, I don't think he's the same fighter he was before the fight with Ruiz and I feel early in this fight he got hit and wobbled by Usyk and that changed everything.

"He didn't come forward, he came on a bit in the middle rounds, but the thing is he didn't do what he had to do to win. I think Usyk will be more confident in the next fight but Joshua has a very good opportunity in the rematch.

"I picked him to win the first fight because of his size and I didn't think Usyk looked great against either Chazz Witherspoon or Derek Chisora."

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