Fury has the upper hand against Joshua, Lewis

Heavyweight legend Lennox Lewis believes Tyson Fury has the mental edge over Anthony Joshua before their long-awaited fight on December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The rivalry between Fury and Joshua goes back almost ten years. There have been many verbal clashes, contract issues, and failed attempts to arrange this fight. Fans have eagerly been waiting for this moment.

Lewis, a former undisputed heavyweight champion, called this fight a big deal for British boxing and its fans.

“I think it’s very important for British history and for the British fans as well,” Lewis told Sky Sports.

“This is a unique fight. It’s a great fight and it’s a fight that everybody’s been waiting for.”

But Lewis did not pick a winner, saying the different styles of the two heavyweights could lead to an unpredictable fight.

“Styles make fights,” Lewis said. “And I think this fight is going to make for a good fight because both of them have two different styles.

“I think the fight may go the distance but both of them have knockout power. Anything can happen.

“I think that Tyson’s winning on the mental, and on the physical I think it’s Anthony Joshua.”

Lewis knows how important a heavyweight fight is in Britain. He fought Frank Bruno in 1993 in the first all-British heavyweight world title fight.

Bruno started strong but was stopped in the seventh round after Lewis landed a powerful left hook and followed up with a series of punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Now, more than thirty years later, Cardiff is getting ready to host another big fight between two British heavyweights looking to settle a long-standing rivalry.

Setting up the Fury-Joshua fight has not been easy. There were disagreements over the venue. Joshua’s team wanted the fight to happen in the UK, while Wembley Stadium was ruled out due to US broadcasting rules. They even thought about New York’s Madison Square Garden before picking Cardiff.

The Principality Stadium is familiar ground for Joshua. He has already beaten Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker there. The stadium's retractable roof also means bad weather is not likely to affect the event.

After all the waiting, Lewis thinks it is time to move from talks to training.

“This fight is finally here and both guys want the fight, and both guys are ready for the fight,” he said.

“They just have to go to training camp and bring it on.