Trainer Shane McGuigan says Anthony Joshua’s July warm-up may not improve him ahead of Tyson Fury and could expose issues.
Anthony Joshua’s July warm-up could be a costly detour, according to trainer Shane McGuigan, who believes the timing may do more harm than good ahead of Tyson Fury.
Joshua is scheduled to box Kristian Prenga on July 25 before his long-awaited showdown with Fury later this year.. Misryoum reports that the return to the ring, after the emotional strain of Joshua’s tragic car accident, is expected to help him shake off rust and build momentum into the bigger contest.
McGuigan’s concern is less about the opposition and more about what a warm-up fight represents for a fighter whose focus is already consumed by a defining rivalry.. He argues that the sport’s toughest challenges are usually what fighters need to stay sharp, not extra steps that do little beyond padding the schedule.
The core of his point is that a warm-up bout can become a missed chance for a genuine test, especially when the stakes are already clear.
Speaking in a critical tone, McGuigan suggested Joshua’s situation could be mentally draining, citing the unfamiliarity of training camps without people who were once part of his routine. He described the period as potentially difficult emotionally, given what Joshua has been forced to process.
In that context, McGuigan said the fight against Prenga may simply replicate familiar training stimuli without delivering the kind of big-game pressure that the Fury bout would bring. He added that the warm-up might even highlight cracks in “what’s really going on,” rather than fix anything.
Meanwhile, McGuigan also warned that Fury’s own plans, if he chooses to take an interim bout instead of getting straight to Joshua, could carry similar risk.. He believes the longer both sides drift into additional fights, the more chance there is for disruptions that professional boxing is notorious for.
The worry here isn’t just performance, but the way extra fights can reshape preparation and confidence at exactly the wrong moment.
McGuigan further pointed to the reality of professional mind games and the role of status in high-profile matchups.. He suggested that the emphasis around ring-walking and poster positioning is ultimately ego-driven, and that it will not change what matters most once both fighters step through the ropes.
For Misryoum, the takeaway is clear: while Joshua’s July warm-up may be designed as a bridge to Fury, McGuigan believes it could be a bridge to nowhere if it does not provide a genuine leap in challenge and intensity.. In his view, all attention should return to the 36 minutes when the rivalry finally becomes the main event.