By Tom Donelson / Member Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)

Anthony Joshua needed to get a win over Kristian Prenga for a big payday against Tyson Fury.  Twenty seconds into the first round, the promoters of the Fury-Joshua feared the worst as Prenga landed a right hand followed by a right-hand uppercut sending Joshua down in the first twenty seconds.   Joshua got up but legs remained unsteady and was knocked down second time.  Prenga had his best chance, but Joshua recovered enough to start going after Prenga in the second round.  Joshua superior jab landed and he followed up with right hand that stunned Prenga.  Prenga could not escape his fate as two big rights send Prenga though the ropes.  The fight was waved off as Prenga did not recover.   Joshua managed to escape with a second-round knockout victory after nearly losing in the first round.

Tyson Fury upheld his side of the deal in Thailand as he easily outboxed Mariusz Wach before stopping Wach in the seventh round.

Fury used the fight as a training session as he looked for rounds as he dominated all seven rounds, forcing Wach’s corner to stop the fight. Fury stated, “I’ve had one fight in two years … This is my second fight in two years, of course I wanted to get the rounds in. I want to be active.”  

Joshua showed his main vulnerability, his chin as he got nailed with shots in the first round and nearly lost his big payday.  While Joshua has good boxing skills, so does Fury.   This fight has been talked about for years and may eventually come but after neither men have a title at stake. 

Errol Spence Jr. went down under in Australia to fight Tim Tszyu in a middleweight division fight.  Spence had not fought in three years, and that last fight was a defeat to the hands of Terrance Crawford.   For Tszyu, this was a die or do

Spence, who was a former member of the various pound for pound top ten as a welterweight, found that he had nothing left as he was slower at the middleweight division and the power that was there at 147 pounds was not there at 160 pound.

The stats show an accurate reflection of this of this fight as Tszyu landed more punches and more power shots as he landed 174 punches for 33 percent connection rates versus 157 punches for a 22 percent connect rate

In the early rounds, Spence held his own and over the first five rounds, he out landed Tszyu in three of those rounds including landing 31 punches in the fifth round his best and he targeted Tszyu body.  He landed 76 punches over those rounds versus Tszyu  In the second round, Tszyu walked into Spence, who still showed some of the old quickness.

From the sixth round, Tszyu dominated the fight as he took all of the remaining rounds on my scorecard.  He landed over 30 more punches over those seven rounds. Every round but the ninth Tszyu landed more punches and that is why I had the fight 117-111 which two of the judges agreed with the third judge, had 118-110.  In the ninth round both men landed 15 punches, but I gave this to Tszyu since his punches were more effective.

Throughout the second half, Tszyu forced Spence to retreat and as the fight wore on, Spence punches had less impact.  In the final round, Tszyu landed only 7 punches as he played it conservatively and took no chances.  Spence didn’t even land a punch in the final round.  After the fight Tszyu was satisfied and decided he was going to stay in the middleweight, and his career is back on track.  Spence retired saying it is time to go home and start a new life. 

Spence was a good fighter at his peak in a welterweight that was loaded but at the age of 36, and nearly four-year layoff, with just the Crawford fight, Spence knew it was time for retirement.  The power and speed that he had earlier in his career was no longer there.