TYSON FURY has told Anthony Joshua he should hang up his gloves for good if he loses to Andy Ruiz Jr for a second time.
The Brit lost his undefeated heavyweight crown to the chubby Mexican earlier this month in one of boxing’s biggest shocks.
AJ’s reputation at the top has been tarnished with the loss to the rank outsider and now question marks remain whether he is on the same level of Fury or Deontay Wilder.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has triggered the clause in the fight deal that will see the 29-year-old given a chance to win back his belts in either November or December.
And Fury, who takes on Tom Schwarz on Saturday, believes it is last chance saloon for Joshua and a defeat should see him call it a day.
He told iFL TV: “I don’t think he’s a better boxer than Ruiz, so the only thing that AJ can do is knock him out early.
If he can’t beat Andy Ruiz Jr in the rematch, he’s finished – done, finished, goodnight, bye-bye
Fury on Anthony Joshua
“He’s not a better boxer, he hasn’t got better feet, he doesn’t have faster hands and he doesn’t throw better combinations. So he’s coming off second best in every single category apart from athleticism and size.
“If you look at history, the ones that do take the rematch get usually chinned.
“If you can’t beat Andy Ruiz Jr, you can’t do anything to Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. Or any other decent heavyweight in the world.
“If he can’t beat Andy Ruiz Jr in the rematch, he’s finished – done, finished, goodnight, bye-bye. He needs to retire – simple as, forget about it, give it up as a bad job.”
Fury, who has backed Ruiz to win the return fight, believes Joshua is “finished” because he quit in his initial fight.
He added: “I’ve lost to an opponent, I’ve lost a challenge, I’ve lost to another rival, you can make any excuse you want, but he gave up on himself.
“He wasn’t knocked out in round seven, he quit. He went down twice, he got back up twice and he didn’t show the referee that he wanted to continue. Spat his gumshield out and stood in the corner holding onto the ropes.
“Once you quit one time in your whole life, you’re finished. Anybody can lose to a better man, Muhammad Ali lost, everybody will lose to a better man but not all good men will quit.”
