Former three-time world heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis has warned IBF, WBA and WBO championship holder Anthony Joshua to “stop chasing money.”
The last undisputed heavyweight king believes Joshua’s lack of interest in taking up a fight against Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder stems from the desire to enjoy easy money. According to the Lion this could be the first crack in the foundation of his unified status in heavyweight category.
While talking to Boxing Scene, Lewis, who is a two-time lineal champion and former Olympic super-heavyweight, stated,
“Joshua can take his time. He’s champion now. He says he doesn’t want to fight Tyson Fury for a year or so. He wants to go around making money. I think that’s going to be a downfall for him. He has to stay with it, he can’t be in the background. If he wants to be champion, he has to act like a champion.”
Briton prodigy Anthony Joshua’s career spans around 22 fights, all victories, out of which 21 wins come via KO. The 29-year-old fighter holds three major titles out of four in the heavyweight realm.
His last ring appearance against opponent Alexander Povetkin in September 2017 earned him a KO victory. Most recently, the fighter is revved up to compete in a brawl on April 13 against an unnamed challenger.
Deontay Wilder, who has held the WBC title since 2015, is being viewed as the rightful candidate for the vacant spot. However, before he faces off against AJ, Wilder must first prove his mettle against former unified WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion Tyson Fury.
Tyson has an impressive record of 27 wins under his belt, including a surprise win against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 that was followed by a ring absence of two years. The Furious One made a comeback earlier this year.
Wilder also boasts an astounding 40-fight win record.
The two would be colliding in a fiery fight, and Lewis believes all bets are off.
“Wilder is a different kettle of fish; I don’t think Klitschko expected Tyson Fury to be so active, so elusive in their fight. He didn’t expect Fury to move so much. I think Deontay will be expecting that. And I think he’ll move with him. It’s completely different. Deontay has a lot of power, anywhere he hits you, you’re going to be concussed. If he can’t knock out Fury, he better be prepared to box. Tyson Fury is fast on his feet, elusive. We’ll see if Deontay can catch up with him.”
He further added,
“It’s such a hard fight to predict. Both guys have talent and both have power. We’re not going to know what happens until we see the fight. The way I look at it, these are two great fighters putting it all on the line. All the experience they gain from that fight, they will bring to the next fight.”
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