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Teddy Atlas predicts another Anthony Joshua “blackout” against Tyson Fury

Anthony Joshua on the canvas against Andy Ruiz Jr in New York

Mike Tyson’s former trainer has backed the Gypsy King to “stop” Anthony Joshua in their huge unification bout later this year…

Teddy Atlas has suggested that Tyson Fury has a "better chin" and he is "more versatile" than Anthony Joshua.

The long-awaited all-British unification bout is due to take place this year. Eddie Hearn revealed last week that both fighters and their teams have agreed to a two-fight deal.

This is a major step forward. The teams now have to agree on a country and venue for the contest that is expected to generate around £200m in revenue.

Saudi Arabia are currently the favourite to host the unification fight, with a targeted date of June/July 2021. Due to the ongoing pandemic, it is extremely unlikely that the first bout will take place in the United Kingdom.

Atlas - who worked with Mike Tyson early in his career - has predicted that Fury will beat Joshua. Speaking on The Fight with Teddy Atlas podcast, he claimed that Fury "can do more things" than AJ:

"I think Fury could stop him. I like AJ, he's a good fighter, he's got good talent, he's had a great comeback. I like all that.

"I'm not going to say he has a China chin, I'm not going to say that. But, I'm gonna say Fury has a better chin.

"And I'm going to say he's been to dark places when he got stopped by Ruiz. He being Joshua. He went to dark places.

"Now he found a light and he lit the room up and he's back into a place that's lit. I just don't think he's that far away from a power shortage.
"I think there could be a blackout again, where his confidence [goes]. When I say the electricity, the light, I attach it to confidence, belief, mental strength and durability.
"I think that a blackout could happen in that generator of his again. He's not far from removed from being taken back to no lights.
"Fury showed me he can go get you now and he can box and pot shot and move.
"So, I'm going to go with [Fury]. Joshua can punch, Joshua's a banger. He gets into position, but he's going to have to get into that position.
"Because Fury is more versatile, Fury has more say because he can do more things.
"He can control the outside if he wants and not make it so easy for Joshua to get into his geography so to speak, which I like to talk about. But it's going to be a humongous fight."

Atlas does raise some legitimate concerns about Joshua. You can't deny that over the years he has progressed tremendously to become a more rounded boxer.

AJ displayed this in his most recent bouts against Andy Ruiz Jr and Kubrat Pulev. He showed a lot of patience and in-ring IQ in these wins, as he got the better of his opponents thanks to his boxing ability and punch power.

But as we saw in the first fight with Ruiz Jr and earlier in his career against Dillian Whyte, he is certainly perceptible to being exposed if he is on the end of some heavy shots.

Up until Fury's last fight against Deontay Wilder, you would not expect him to be able to bring the fight to Joshua like Ruiz Jr and Whyte did.

But he showed against the American that when he wants to, he can just be as lethal throwing bombs as he is with his footwork and his jab.

It is hard to say whether the Gypsy King will go for a similar method against AJ. But at the very least he has made his future opponent and boxing fans aware that he is more than capable of hurting him.

No one really knows what to expect when these two stars meet in the ring, which makes it such a fascinating fight that will be watched intently around the globe…

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