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Home » Exclusive: Anthony Joshua three years from world level – Peter Fury

Exclusive: Anthony Joshua three years from world level – Peter Fury

Despite holding a lofty number two ranking with the World Boxing Council, Joshua remains rooted to domestic level and Fury is convinced the Olympic gold medallist should hold fire before thinking of making any sudden moves towards the top fighters.

Joshua, 26, went past three rounds for the first time in his career when making it 15 knockouts from 15 wins against Dillian Whyte in London, but was badly shaken a couple of times early on by his old amateur rival.

Constant links with the likes of David Haye, Deontay Wilder and Fury himself may see Joshua potentially running before he can walk, whilst talk of an immediate rematch with Whyte doesn’t seem like a bad idea at this point in time.

“Anthony Joshua did well, but again he’s boxed no-one and Dillian Whyte was his first live opponent,” Fury exclusively told World Boxing News.

“Dillian came to fight back and proved Joshua is nowhere near the level he’s ranked. That’s not being critical or biased because he’s now had 15 fights and is still learning the trade.

“I’m sure his promoter Eddie Hearn will guide him correctly and not rush him, but in my own opinion, Joshua is at least three years away from world platforms.”

There’s no doubting the punching power of Joshua or his brute strength, although this is the first time any chin questions have been posed and Whyte did manage to rock the Watford man to his boots at one point.

Stamina issues could also be a problem as Joshua was blowing hard after a blistering start to his grudge match with Whyte and may have to focus less on building upper body muscle in order to have enough gas in the tank for longer contests.

Having a concussive armoury is all good and well against some lesser opponents – but will only take you so far, and Joshua will need to become a more polished all-rounder before his can completely fulfil his obvious world title promise.