Anthony Joshua could be in 'world of trouble' against Tyson Fury if he fails to improve on last performance, says Johnny Nelson

Anthony Joshua will be in "a world of trouble" against Tyson Fury if he brings the same level of performance as he did in his previous fight, according to Johnny Nelson.

On Thursday, the long-awaited all-British heavyweight clash was finally confirmed for December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

Joshua comes into the fight on the back of a major scare during his July victory over Kristian Prenga, with the 36-year-old knocked down twice in the opening round before stopping his unheralded opponent in the second.

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The fight was Joshua's first since he survived a December 2025 car crash that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Adodele.

Former cruiserweight world champion Nelson told Sky Sports News: "Well mentally, remember almost a year ago, AJ was involved in a horrific accident.

"That's a lot to get over and get his head around. Hopefully, he's in a great space with that.

"His last fight didn't represent him very well. If you're going on his last fight, he's in a world of trouble."

Having taken time out of the ring after his two 2024 defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Fury has this year recorded comfortable victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Mariusz Wach.

Nelson continued: "You look at Tyson Fury, his last fight was underwhelming but it wasn't worrying.

"So, the stages they're at, if you're going by their last fights, the one that's in a better condition I'd say would be Tyson Fury, because his last fight read better than AJ's last fight."

'Joshua more reliant on athleticism'

Nelson explained that he believes Joshua (30-4) has experienced a bigger drop-off than Fury (36-2-1) due to the former's greater reliance on his athleticism.

"Without a doubt, Joshua is explosive," Nelson said. "You saw the fights when he boxed people like Francis Ngannou, took them out cold.

"Tyson Fury, we've seen him box and knock people out. We've seen him go the distance. We've seen that slow burn and him winning a fight.

"With AJ, it just seems that he stands out more for the knockouts than his boxing ability, even though he does have boxing ability.

"Whereas Tyson Fury, it wouldn't surprise you if he boxes his way around the ring for 12 rounds because he has that ability.

"Is AJ going to produce a crash, bang, wallop? Most people would probably be saying if it stops early inside the distance, you'd say AJ because of that explosive power.

"If it goes the distance or it's a late stoppage, you'd say Fury because he has the boxing intelligence, IQ and success of stopping people late."

'They'll bring the best out of each other'

Nelson is confident that despite both being past their prime, the long-standing rivalry between Fury and Joshua will ensure they bring the best out of each other.

"I think both fighters, not just AJ, are way past their best," Nelson added.

"But I also believe that because they're fighting each other, if there's ever a time that they're going to be able to turn back time for one night only, it's December 11. That one night is when they get everything.

"They understand that one mistake ruins their Christmas, ruins their New Year, ruins this beef that they've had forever and a day.

"There's a lot at stake for both fighters. They are not at their best, they're not the fighters they were, but the fighters they are today match each other perfectly, and they'll bring the best out in each other."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Anthony Joshua could be in 'world of trouble' against Tyson Fury if he fails to improve on last performance, says Johnny Nelson