Tony Bellew believes Anthony Joshua would knock out Tyson Fury if the two British heavyweights finally agreed to fight each other.
Joshua dispatched Francis Ngannou inside two rounds in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, and has now had three of his last five fights in the Middle Eastern country.
Fury also fought in Saudi Arabia last time out, beating Ngannou on points in October, and is set to return there in May for his undisputed heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
A win for Fury could set up a fight against Joshua, a mouthwatering prospect for British boxing.
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And Bellew believes Joshua’s recent performances would make him the clear favourite against Fury, who only beat Ngannou on points in the MMA star’s boxing debut.
‘I believe he faces the winner of Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk and if that is Fury who comes out as the winner and the undisputed champion, then Anthony Joshua knocks him out,’ Bellew told Spinbet.
‘I just think he will let his hands go and stop Fury. His power is ridiculous and he has once again proven how destructive he can be, it is scary.’
Joshua demolished Ngannou in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, just four months after the former UFC heavyweight champion knocked down Fury and pushed him all the way before losing a razor-thin points decision.
But the 34-year-old delivered a dominant performance as he knocked down the MMA star twice and then finished him with a devastating right hand that left the Cameroonian-born star requiring medical attention.
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Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn suggested earlier this week that his client and Fury could sign a two-fight deal to finally face each other, with one of the bouts potentially taking place at Wembley Stadium.
Joshua has now won his last four bouts since losing his rematch to Usyk by split decision two years ago, an emphatic return to form that has impressed Bellew.
‘You have to say well done to AJ because he is the one going out there and knocking these guys out,’ the former WBC cruiserweight champion said.
‘The job he did with Otto Wallin was absolutely clinical, it was a brilliant performance from start to finish.
‘The finish was ridiculous and then we cross over to the Francis Ngannou fight and everyone thinks he’s going to be in a world of trouble. I pretty much said it would be over within six rounds but what I did also say was that if it went past six rounds.’
Hearn feels Joshua has put himself back at the top of the heavyweight division, and admits even he was shocked by how easy the Brit made it look against Ngannou.
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‘The comeback for Anthony Joshua is unbelievable. I’m talking about the mental comeback,’ Hearn, who is Joshua’s promoter, told iFL TV this month.
‘I’m talking about the comeback from criticism. I’m talking about the comeback to form. Should he retire now, or is he the best heavyweight in the world? It’s one of the two.
‘So, what this guy has done to come back to the position he’s in is unbelievable. Like a broken man after the second Usyk fight, searching for answers, searching for form. He has worked so hard to find it.’
Bellew echoed Hearn’s stance, suggesting Joshua is mentally much stronger than he was even when he won his two world titles.
‘Anthony Joshua is in a place now where the mental fragility that he’s had placed on his name has now gone,’ he said.
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‘There is no mental side anymore. He doesn’t have much to think about because Ben Davison has taken care of most of that. He knows he’s fit and can go and let his hands go.’
