George Groves has said Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s wins at the weekend combined to make the “worst advertisement in history” for their planned fight.
On Saturday, Joshua survived two first-round knockdowns to stop relative unknown Kristian Prenga in round two, one day after Fury beat a 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in seven rounds – with the latter fight not broadcast anywhere.
Those bouts were seen as the final hurdles for a long-awaited, all-British clash between Fury and Joshua, a pair of former world heavyweight champions.
But after Joshua’s concerning performance, and amid fresh talks about whether a fight with Fury will take place in the UK or US, hype for the “mega-fight” is not where it should be, per Groves.
The former super-middleweight champion, speaking to the Independent via Betselect.co.uk, said: “Fury is a clever man in terms of the opponents he’ll pick, to make sure that he wins, but him against Wach looked like two grandads having a punch-up in a Thailand sort of dojo.
“[It was as if] they’ve had a midlife crisis, they’ve sold up, they’ve moved to Thailand, and they fancy having a fight. When people are telling you [Fury] is about to be involved in the biggest fight in the history of boxing, I’m left scratching my head.
“Up until about Saturday night, I thought: ‘If he fights Joshua... Fury just looks so old now, his career’s catching up with him, the lifestyle is catching up with him, Joshua’s probably gonna weather the distance better.’
“But [Joshua] walks into Jeddah, fights someone that none of us have really heard of, who’s got a good record – but it doesn’t mean anything – and he gets dropped with the first punch. He’s away with the fairies, he’s almost out for the count. He gets up, gets dropped again, and then surprisingly Prenga in the second round decides not to throw a punch and gets stopped himself.
“So, the show goes on, but it’s got to be the worst advertisement to sell a mega-fight in history. I can’t think of anything that would get close to this.
“And I know we’re doing interviews now talking about Fury and Joshua, that’s why it’s stayed this relevant, because these guys are famous enough to get a headline and engage with people, but when it comes around... I’ll be interested, but I’m not on the edge of my seat; I don’t think anyone truly can be.
“You needed something that was a statement. I mean, the Jake Paul fight was more exciting than the Joshua fight at the weekend, in terms of: ‘What’s next for Joshua?’”
Groves, 38, was referring to his fellow Briton’s fight with Paul in December, when Joshua, 36, stopped the YouTuber-turned-boxer in six rounds.
Ten days later, “AJ” survived a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his teammates, and in the subsequent months, Joshua began training with his former opponent Oleksandr Usyk in Ukraine. A relieved-looking Usyk was ringside in Jeddah as Joshua beat Prenga.
“I applaud that [comeback] to a certain degree, if there’s something left to deliver,” Groves said, “but you’re finished. He’s finished, and Tyson Fury’s finished.”
Fury’s win over Wach came three months after he outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Fury emerged from retirement for the fifth time. That comeback followed two consecutive points losses to Usyk in 2024.
Joshua, 36, versus Fury, 37, has been mooted for London’s Wembley Stadium in November, but Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh has said ring walks would need to begin at 2am GMT. However, since Joshua beat Prenga, it has emerged that the US is back on the table as a possible location for the all-British showdown.
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