Legend explains why Fury disappointed against Makhmudov, but will be different against Joshua

Former British heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (35–2–1, 24 KOs) failed to impress during his victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov, but that’s not surprising, says legendary Roy Jones Jr..

According to him, Fury’s performances are directly influenced by the level of his opponent.

“Tyson Fury fights to the level of his opponent,” Roy noted. “Give him a top fighter and he will show top-level skills. Give him someone lower, and he will look lower. I think he has become a victim of adjusting to his opponent’s level: if his opponent isn’t elite, he doesn’t give his all. But against the elite, he is capable of greatness.”

In that sense, Fury will be a completely different man if/when he faces Anthony Joshua, Jones is convinced:

“He won’t box like that against Anthony Joshua, I promise. But we also have to understand Joshua’s current mental state. Does he even have the motivation to get up every morning and go to the gym? Does he want to go through that level of pressure again?”

Roy also recalled Joshua’s tragic car accident and explained that “after you lose close friends, sometimes there comes a point where you don’t want to go through anything like that again. Then the question arises: are you ready for a potential defeat now? Do you want to go through that when you can avoid it? I’m not sure he is mentally ready for that.”