Everybody has an opinion about Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua – but none of them might be quite as relevant as that of Johnathon Banks.
Banks brings a unique perspective to the planned world heavyweight title unification showdown in 2021, having headed up Wladimir Klitschko’s corner for huge fights against both of the British stars.
First Banks saw Klitschko lose his titles to Fury on points in Hamburg in 2015, and then looked on as Dr Steelhammer dropped a classic to Joshua in front of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in April 2017 – a thrilling bout in which both men were down.
If that is not enough to give Banks a valuable insight into this matchup, he says he speaks to Joshua regularly and also has a strong relationship with Fury’s new trainer, Kronk disciple Javan ‘SugarHill’ Steward.
He spoke at length with Lance Pugmire of The Athletic, first explaining what he thinks Joshua must do to overcome the odds against ‘The Gypsy King’.
“If I had Anthony Joshua sitting next to me right now, I wouldn’t advise him to box Tyson Fury,” he said.
“That would be the dumbest thing you can do. Don’t box Tyson Fury. You’re not going to, even if you move better. He’s older than you. So I would treat Joshua like he’s a caged animal and I would take his leash off and say, ‘Go fight.’ That’s his best bet.”
Banks admits he finds it tough to pick a winner in this fight right now – especially as it’s likely at least one year away. But he did reveal: “I give a slight edge to Fury. It’s a tricky fight. Joshua has natural talent the way he fights, but Fury has been doing it a little bit longer on a higher level, and among all the heavyweights,
“Fury’s a better mover and a superior boxer out of all the guys. Tyson Fury is not a one-punch knockout guy, but this fight becomes very interesting because of how well Fury can box and now that he has ‘SugarHill’ Steward in his corner, he has the aggression people have always wondered if he had. He’s a wrecking ball right now.”
