BOXING'S 'CARTHORSE'
Former heavyweight puts in the boot
Anthony Joshua has been labelled ‘‘a carthorse who can’t box’’ by former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury as pressure builds for the division to unify.
Fury, cleared of doping violations, is keen to get back in the mix as Joshua, the WBA and IBF champion, tries to iron out the final details for a unification clash with WBO champion Joseph Parker of New Zealand.
Fury has been relentless in his criticism of Joshua and continued that this week, adding to the general consensus that the giant Brit’s gym obsession is coming at the expense of boxing skills.
Asked by Boxingscene how he feels Joshua has developed since beating Carlos Takam via a 10th round stoppage in October, Fury said: ‘‘Still the same, bit heavier, few more muscles on him, that’s it really. The man can’t box, he’s not a boxer. He’s a brawler.
‘‘When he gets in there with someone who can box and move, he’ll get beat, simple as that. When I say these things, I don’t just say it because I don’t like somebody or whatever, I say it because I know the truth.
‘‘The truth of the matter is he’ll get his head punched in by anyone who can box and move a little bit, simple as.’’
Fury has previously stated that he believes Parker can beat Joshua.
Fury doesn’t see Joshua changing his ways: ‘‘No, because you can never turn a carthorse into a racehorse. He ain’t built for movement and speed. He’s built for power.
‘‘You can’t make a power man a speed man. Without speed and movement in heavyweight boxing, you’re a limited fighter. You’re not going to blast through everybody, like we saw with [Carlos] Takam, at 12 days’ notice.’’
Joshua took the latest blows from Fury on the chin, saying the taunts were ‘‘what I deal with in my industry’’.
Fury has expressed a keen interest in fighting Joshua in what would be a huge fight in Britain.
But with Fury’s troubled background over the past two years since he beat Wladimir Klitschko to rip open the division, Joshua is cautious about hyping the fight though he said he was more than willing to get in a ring with Fury.
‘‘I don’t know if he is back or what his situation is, but, as I always say, I stay consistent with what I’m doing and it’s up to him to get back on the gravy train,’’ Joshua told Sky Sports in the UK on Wednesday (NZT).
‘‘So calling somebody out is irrelevant when you don’t know if you’re going to live up to your words. I’m sure he will, but at this present time he’s saying he needs warm-up fights. So tune in to what’s important and then focus on the bigger picture - that’s your strategy.
‘‘If he wants to get straight in the ring with me in the summer, let’s rock and roll. The ball is in his court but either way I’m ready to roll - I don’t mind what we do.’’
Meanwhile, BC champion Deontay Wilder - behind Parker in the queue for a unification fight with Joshua - is set to glove up to take on Cuban Luis Ortiz in New York in March according to American reports.