Tyson Fury has been likened to ‘a messiah’ by the man he was named after – the former undisputed world heavyweight king ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson.
Tyson spoke to Eddie Hearn’s ‘No Passion No Point’ podcast on BBC Sounds, and talked about the heavyweight big guns of today. Namely Fury and Anthony Joshua.
And while he admits Joshua is something special, he believes ‘The Gypsy King’ appears to be on another level.
He said: “Tyson Fury is the fans’ fighter. The fans are in love with him, he has the momentum now. In England, Anthony Joshua is a big thing. But Fury, he’s got the people now. That’s the truth. They’re following him like he’s the messiah.”
Tyson also referenced what he believes is the biggest weakness in Joshua’s makeup.
“Joshua’s a masterful puncher but you can see his punches coming,” he said.
Joshua telegraphs his punches
“He telegraphs his punches and that’s his recipe for disaster if you’re fighting Tyson Fury. You telegraphing your punches for a guy who is 6 ft 7? Come on.”
Tyson of course is preparing for a fight of his own – his eagerly-awaited comeback at the age of 54. He faces another modern legend Roy Jones Jr in an eight-round exhibition in California on Saturday. The bout will be screened live on pay-per-view by BT Sport Box Office.
With both Tyson and Jones now over 50 years of age, there will be special rules in place for Saturday’s bout. This according to the California State Athletic Commission.
- The bout will be held over 8 x 2-minute rounds.
- The fighters will not wear headguards
- The fighters will use larger 12-ounce gloves
- The fight will be stopped if either fighter is cut
- No knockouts will be allowed
- There will be no judges present
- The bout will be scored remotely by three former fighters – Chad Dawson, Vinny Pazienza and Christy Martin
- No official winner will be declared
