Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has expressed his belief that Anthony Joshua, the British-Nigerian boxer, possesses more skill than his American counterpart, Deontay Wilder.
During the 1990s, Holyfield rose to stardom as a boxer, achieving the remarkable feat of winning undisputed championships in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions during the era of three belts.
With a proposed tournament in Saudi Arabia featuring Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury and Joshua vs Wilder in December, the 60-year-old Holyfield sees both former champions as evenly matched, but he views Joshua as the more skillful boxer in this intriguing clash.
"Both fighters are talented in their own right. Wilder is exceptionally quick, but Joshua exhibits greater skill. However, in boxing, there is always a way for one person to emerge victorious, as it is the art of the game," Holyfield expressed to SunSport.
"While someone may possess superior skills, the ability to withstand and counter is what tends to bring success. It will be a fascinating match."
In addition, Holyfield offered advice to Usyk, who has achieved the same feat of winning championships in two weight divisions but has missed out on a legacy-defining fight with Fury. There remains hope that the two champions can come to an agreement to unify the belts before the end of the year.
Holyfield, who is well-acquainted with overcoming size disadvantages, similar to what Usyk will face against the 34-year-old Fury standing at 2.06m, shared his perspective.
"I would recommend staying close to him. Usyk possesses lightning-fast hands, and you will have to throw a lot of punches. He is much larger than me, so I should be able to throw more punches than him. I can fight on the inside and outside, offering different looks that he is not accustomed to," Holyfield added.
Usyk, at the age of 36, boasts an unbeaten record in 20 fights and is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, holding the unified WBA, IBF, and WBO belts.
"This is why no one is stepping up to fight Usyk; he's a smaller guy. If he weren't good, everyone would be eager to face him. He is quick and throws a greater volume of punches, making him a challenging opponent. Fury doesn't seem concerned; he wants to fight Usyk, right? He desires the fight, so he is not worried," Holyfield explained confidently.
