Tony Bellew has given his assessment of Tyson Fury’s punching power ahead of his showdown with Anthony Joshua.

Fury is now 38 years old and has got 39 fights under his belt. He has won 36 of them, with 25 coming by way of knockout.

Last time out in July, he forced Mariusz Wach’s corner to pull him out in between rounds, and before that his last stoppage was of the overmatched and ageing Derek Chisora in 2022, and Dillian Whyte in April of the same year.

Speaking to Fight Your Corner, Bellew insisted that Fury has never been one of the sport’s big hitters.

“Tell me who he’s knocked out in three rounds? The last time Tyson Fury knocked someone out in three rounds it been that long I can’t remember. It’s probably when he was facing a journeyman. Your opinion was that he’s a puncher. He’s never been a puncher. He’s never been a puncher.

“At no point in Tyson Fury’s career has he ever been a puncher. That’s not my opinion, that a fact. The best Tyson Fury has been he beat Wladimir Kiltshcko. I don’t think anybody beats him that night.

“He then goes to Ben Davison and becomes a weaker version of the one Peter Fury trained. He then goes to Sugar Hill Steward, but he’s someone who implements a certain style, the Kronk style, an aggressive counter-punching style.

“This has hurt Tyson Fury because it’s got him believing he’s a puncher, and he’s never been a puncher. What he is, is heavy-handed.”

In Joshua, he faces a much more renowned puncher who has knocked out 27 opponents from 30 wins, though he has also been susceptible to being stopped himself, as he was against both Andy Ruiz in 2019 and Daniel Dubois in September 2024, which is what makes the fight so intriguing.