Anthony Joshua is a better boxer than Tyson Fury but the Gypsy King has the mental edge, according to heavyweight icon, Evander Holyfield.
The 57-year-old did not hesitate when asked who rules today’s heavyweight division and handed it to Fury despite claiming Joshua is technically superior.
Joshua and Fury have been told to win their next mandated fights before setting up a “Super Bowl” undisputed title decider.
Joshua’s IBF mandatory defence against Kubrat Pulev has been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic while Fury’s trilogy against Deontay Wilder, 34, will also be backdated.
But Holyfield is in no doubt who would win if the pair meet.
He told Sky Sports: “Tyson Fury. He can fight!
“The difference in people is how hard they work.
“Joshua may be the better boxer of all of them but, with Fury, you never know.
“He has long arms and throws shots that you don’t see. He can make adjustments.
“Boxing is mental – it’s about who is stronger in the mind, that outweighs physical things.
“People thought they could beat me because of how I look.
“With Fury, he doesn’t look like he can do it but he keeps proving that he can.”
Boxing fans are desperate to see the Battle of Britain between the two heavyweight giants.
But Top Rank president Todd DuBoef has instead urged the pair to get past their “semi-final” fights before setting up a historic clash for all the heavyweight marbles.
DuBoef told Sky Sports: “I think inherently the objective for everybody is to live up to the commitments that they both have, and keep it simple, and if they both get past those, let’s go ahead and do it.
“If that was early 2021, that’s great, but I think that’s what the circumstances were, where the chatter started coming back, is because of this pause in events.
“The easiest scenario for all of us is get Joshua past Pulev – who is going to be a tough mandatory fight for him.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
