Anthony Joshua gives his verdict on Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder

Mind games?

Promoter Frank Warren is adamant the fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder is going to take place before the end of the year, whilst the rest of us are forced to just sit here, twiddling our thumbs in anticipation. Fury and Wilder are both undefeated at 27-0 and 40-0 respectively, and Fury has won both of his comeback fights since returning from over two-and-a-half years away from the ring. The problem for him, however, is that they were essentially against human punchbags in shorts. Whether the Gypsy King will be able to recapture the sparkling form that led to his defeat of Wladimir Klitschko to become a unified world heavyweight champion in 2015 remains to be seen. Like any boxing fan, current heavyweight champion in the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO Anthony Joshua has his opinion on how he sees a potential fight going, and perhaps surprisingly, is plumping for the Bronze Bomber to come out on top. When asked who he thought would win in a clash between two of his heavyweight rivals, Joshua told iFL TV:

"Wilder... he's just active. It’s hard when you’ve been inactive, Wilder has been active. And he’s a top-level fighter. He’s a world champion. He’s an Olympian, so he knows what he’s doing. ‘So I think Wilder will win just for those reasons."

Wilder, who currently holds the WBC belt Joshua would need for a full unification, has been a rumoured opponent for AJ for some time. Should he defeat Fury in December, when the fight is rumoured to take place - and let's be honest, it doesn't look like it is happening any sooner - it would set up a grandstand showdown with the former Olympic gold medallist at Wembley next April. Joshua, meanwhile, will be in action as he defends all four of his titles against Alexander Povetkin on September 22.