Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has dismissed Anthony Joshua’s win over Robert Helenius as a ‘bore’.
Joshua put in a patient performance before knocking out Helenius in the seventh round on Saturday, edging closer to a fight with Deontay Wilder.
It was a much-needed stoppage win for “AJ”, 33, but Warren has said he was not impressed by the former champion’s showing.
“I thought it was pretty boring up until the knockout,” Warren told Boxing Social on Tuesday (15 August). “That’s what it was. I agree with the crowd, who were booing!
“It was a bore, it was a bore up until then. He caught him with a big shot, but let’s get it right: He’s the guy who’s got a big punch, and the other guy – when he fights at that level – normally gets knocked out when he steps up.
“What happened, happened. I know it was a last-minute [replacement] and all that. I don’t read anything into it. You’ve not learnt any more about AJ from that fight, coming out of it, than you did going into it.”
Warren also played down Joshua’s chances against Wilder, who fought Fury to a controversial draw in 2018 before losing to the “Gypsy King” in 2020 and 2021.
“Tyson’s [nearly] beaten Wilder three times, so if [Joshua] beats Wilder – I don’t think he will – so what? Tyson’s probably taken a lot of miles off of his clock. Tyson did a job on him in that second fight, certainly in the third fight.
“I don’t think he’d beat Wilder, but that’s irrelevant.”
A fight between Briton Joshua and American Wilder is in the works for January 2024. Saudi Arabia is expected to host the heavyweight clash, if it comes to fruition.
Wilder, 37, last fought in October, stopping Helenius in the first round.
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