Fury vs Joshua: Shane McGuigan backs Fury to stop AJ early

Shane McGuigan does not expect Fury vs Joshua to last long. The respected trainer has picked Tyson Fury to beat Anthony Joshua, and he expects it to finish early.

McGuigan told Ring Magazine he sees the Fury vs Joshua fight ending in the first half. He has trained Carl Frampton, David Haye and Daniel Dubois, who stopped Joshua in 2024.

“I don’t think it’ll go longer than four or five rounds … maybe six,” McGuigan said. “But I do think it favours the calmer and more natural [fighter], who’s probably got more belief in himself.”

Why McGuigan backs Fury in Fury vs Joshua

For McGuigan, the difference between the two is confidence.

“Fury doesn’t need a coach to tell him how good he is. He’s always believed in himself,” he said. “Whereas AJ’s a guy that’s built confidence off his wins, off his team, off his promoter … he’s always built that confidence.”

He then summed it up in one line. “I just look at it and think the guy that’s most confident is going to win, and I believe that’s Fury.”

The recent form behind McGuigan’s prediction

Boxing News points out that neither man is the fighter he was at his peak.

Fury’s finest nights came in 2015 and 2020. He outpointed Wladimir Klitschko in Germany, then stopped Deontay Wilder in their rematch in Las Vegas.

Joshua’s high point was his 2017 win over Klitschko at Wembley. He had to climb off the canvas that night before stopping the Ukrainian in round 11.

His most recent outing is the clearest evidence for McGuigan’s view. In Jeddah in July, Joshua was knocked down twice in the first round by Kristian Prenga, before recovering to stop him in the second.

Joshua has since gone back to Ben Davison for this camp, having spent time with Oleksandr Usyk’s team, the man who beat Fury twice in 2024.

Fury goes in at 36-2-1 with 25 knockouts. Joshua is 30-4 with 27 knockouts.

What is at stake in Cardiff

The two meet at the Principality Stadium on 11 December. The vacant WBA ‘super’ title is on the line, so the winner becomes a three-time world heavyweight champion.

Cardiff Council is due to consider the stadium’s application for extended opening hours on 25 November. The application proposes main-event ring walks at around 1am, subject to approval, with BoxingScene reporting objections from local residents.

McGuigan’s call adds to a growing list of predictions. Eddie Hearn went the other way this week and backed Joshua to knock Fury out. You can follow every twist in the heavyweight division right here.