Ben Davison Backs Anthony Joshua’s Tune-Up Fight Decision Before Tyson Fury Bout: ‘Most People Can’t Comprehend the Pressure’

Trainer Ben Davison, who has worked in the corners of both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury at major fights, says Joshua is making the correct call by scheduling a warm-up bout before the two British heavyweights meet later this year.

Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 before the mega-fight with Fury takes place at a date yet to be confirmed. While some have raised concerns that an intervening bout could pose an unnecessary risk ahead of the all-British showdown, Davison dismisses those reservations.

“Everybody knows about the accident and the crash, naturally he would have come out of that accident with injuries,” Davison told Sky Sports. “Make sure that his body’s good and ready to go before going into that fight, which I think makes sense. Tyson’s just had his tune up fight.”

Fury himself recently returned to the ring in his own preparatory outing ahead of the Joshua fight, a factor Davison cited in supporting a parallel approach for his former charge. Contracts for the Fury vs Joshua fight have been signed, confirming the bout is officially on.

Davison also addressed Joshua’s longstanding reluctance to publicly disclose physical setbacks, describing it as a characteristic trait rather than a strategic decision. “He’s always been like that. There’s been situations that have happened sometimes in fights that he’s won, sometimes in fights that he’s lost and I think he’s never looked to share situations publicly,” the trainer said. “I think he’s always just took it on the chin, dealt with it and worked in silence and I think that’s something to be admired as well.”

On the question of who prevails when the two finally meet, Davison — uniquely placed having trained both men at elite level — stopped short of offering a prediction. “When you get to a certain level both men are capable of winning the fight. I think it boils down to how they approach the fight and I don’t know how both men are going to approach the fight,” he said.

Despite their contrasting public personas, Davison identified meaningful common ground between the two fighters. “At heart they’re both really good guys. But I just feel the way they’ve approached the showmanship of boxing is the complete opposite. But naturally those two guys have changed boxing, especially in the UK. Really changed the game. To do that says something,” he said.

Davison also reflected on the shared burden that comes with operating at the pinnacle of heavyweight boxing. “At the same time that takes its toll. To go through the things they have to go through and do the things they have to do and the pressures and the rest of it, all of that. There are similarities there for sure and how they deal with it is different. Most people can’t even comprehend the pressure and all the rest of it that they’re under. There’s high pressure, high expectation, lots of people relying on you.”

“It’s really tough and you can only commend what they’ve both done in the sport. I’m extremely grateful, lucky and blessed to have worked with both of those guys,” Davison added.

Joshua, a two-time unified heavyweight world champion, has not fought since his second-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, a result that renewed scrutiny over his future at the top level. A convincing performance against Prenga on July 25 in Saudi Arabia would go some way to rebuilding confidence ahead of what would be one of the most commercially significant British boxing matches in history.