Buster Douglas believes Tyson Fury ‘no longer has the strength’ to withstand powerful punches ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk later this year.
And the 64-year-old also thinks Fury ‘gets weak’ at times in the ring, with the Gypsy King recently suffering his first defeat as a professional.
Both Fury and Usyk put on a show in Saudi Arabia last month, with the Ukrainian winning via split decision.
It was a painful defeat for Fury, who had felt he was winning on points prior to being wobbled in the ninth round.
The two men are set to meet in a rematch on December 21, with Fury looking to avenge his loss.
And Douglas, speaking to Gambling Zone, fears Fury is unable to cope with powerful punches.
Discussing a potential fight between Fury and Anthony Joshua one day, he said: “I speak to my trainer about today’s heavyweights and he has a low opinion of them and says they [Fury and AJ] wouldn’t have been in the top 30 in my era, I have to agree.
“They have skills, but as far as endurance, I don’t know.
“They don’t seem to be able to withstand power and aggressiveness.”
He then added: “Right now I think AJ beats Fury.
“It’s not that Fury is on the decline, he just no longer has that strength to withstand that force.
“Once you start putting your punches together, he tends to get weak as the fight goes on and his power levels start faltering.
“It’s a strong possibility that AJ would knock Fury out, I think he would. He would definitely take Fury out.
“It would not go the distance, AJ would knock him out.
“And AJ-Usyk is right now also a good one. I’d say AJ beats Fury and AJ Usyk is 50-50.
“AJ is looking like he’s on a mission and he’s finally got it together and he’s changed some things.”
Many members of the Fury camp have been quiet in the short time since his defeat.
His brother, Tommy Fury, appeared at Soccer Aid on Sunday as an England XI beat the World XI 6-3 at Stamford Bridge.
And he said Fury was ‘alright’ and also expressed a belief he felt the Gypsy King deserved to be given the win.
“Tyson’s alright, all good, all good. Listen, at the end of the day it was a close fight, I did think Tyson did enough to win it,” he said.
“I thought the first half of the fight was a shutout and they picked up a couple of rounds after that, so I thought he won the fight.
“But at the end of the day it’s boxing, decisions happen and he’ll be back for the rematch.
“100 per cent he’ll win the rematch.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that when the rematch happens he’ll right that wrong and get the victory back and move on to the next.”
Fury and Usyk are set to lock horns again on December 21.
It’s set to be another huge night of action, though it’s currently unclear if all of the belts will be on the line.
