If their warm-up fights prove irrelevant, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will face each other before the end of the year to settle their long-running feud. Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez shared his thoughts on the blockbuster fight.

Fury and Joshua have finally agreed fight terms, but the event still hinges on the success of each in transition fights – something that cannot be taken for granted, as ‘AJ’ found out when he lost to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 and again when a proposed clash with Deontay Wilder ended in the American’s loss to Joseph Parker.

On Saturday, July 25, Joshua will return to fight the little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga, who won all 20 triumphs in his career by knockout, but has not yet reached a level close to the world level.

Meanwhile, ‘The Gypsy King’ is preparing for his second appearance in 2026, recently teasing that he will appear on the Dublin card next week, with fans still unsure who will be in the opposite corner. A low-risk dance partner is expected so as not to expose the completely British banger to any real danger.

In an interview with Boxing News, four-division world champion Canelo looked to the future, predicting – and hoping for – an Anthony Joshua victory.

“I think Anthony Joshua [will win]. I’m always with Anthony Joshua. It’s a good fight, but I’m betting on Anthony Joshua.

Joshua has previously trained with Canelo while touring gyms in the United Statesworking for a miniature trial period under Alvarez head coach Eddy Reynoso before opting to hire Robert Garcia instead ahead of his 2022 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. He has now opted for the team of elderly rival and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, adding more intrigue to the Fury fight.

The backlash has grown louder as neither Kabayel nor Sanchez currently fit the commercial profile of a Tyson Fury fight, a fight with Anthony Joshua or even a rematch with Rico Verhoeven, even though both are viewed as unsafe opponents.

Kabayel spent the last year clawing his way into the title game with wins over Frank Sanchez and Arslanbek Makhmudov, while Sanchez regained momentum with a knockout of Richard Torrez Jr. earlier this month.

Some fans, however, believe Team Usyk could now pivot towards bigger commercial events instead of risky mandatory fights.

This theory gained popularity after Usyk fought against Verhoeven’s arrest in Egypt. The fight generated mixed interest, with debate about a stoppage and immediate discussion about a rematch.

Some fans now believe that a second fight with Rico could prove to be the perfect bridge as Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua move closer to their anticipated showdown later this year.

If Fury defeats Joshua, a third fight with Usyk will immediately become up for sale again. If Joshua wins, the next Usyk-Joshua fight will also have high commercial value.

Meanwhile, Kabayel remains in a complex situation. Although respected by die-hard boxing fans, the undefeated German challenger currently does not have the mainstream international profile that Fury, Joshua and even Verhoeven did after the event in Egypt.

This led some fans to wonder if Lapin’s “highlight” comment was less about ambition and more about avoiding high-risk heavyweight rivals who carry a threat without being tied to a blockbuster business.

Many boxing fans believe that Oleksandr Usyk was just a round away from one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history against Rico Verhoeven, and now Queensberry promoter Frank Warren has expressed his views on the fight.

With only one professional boxing fight under his belt, most people gave Verhoeven minimal chances ahead of his unconventional clash with Usyk at the Pyramids of Giza.

The Dutchman quickly proved that he should be taken seriously as his style caused problems for Usyk, who had trouble winning rounds and was constantly off the pace.

Before round 11, it was revealed that two judges had the fight level while one had Verhoeven ahead 96-94. In interview for iFL TVWarren described the result as “horrible”, believing that the underdog’s performance deserved a bigger advantage.

“I actually thought it was a really good fight, fun to watch and he won it. I had him four or five [rounds] up, I thought the scoring was terrible.

In this penultimate round, these scorecards became redundant as a judge Mark Lyson intervened after Verhoeven met Usyk’s uppercut and then applied pressure in a corner.

Continuing, Warren said a more experienced operator would take some extra time and look at the entire round.

“I think if he [Verhoeven] when he fell, he had a little more experience [he could have survived the round]. I noticed that his rubber cover had half fallen off and he put it back on without touching it, he sort of swallowed it back.

“Anyone with a bit of experience would spit it out and maybe gain a little more from it [of time]”

Verhoeven appealed the outcome of the fight, hoping to have the fight result changed to a “no contest” or force an immediate rematch, although the WBC confirmed that Usyk would next have to have mandatory challenger Shit Kabayel, promoted by Warren.