ANTHONY JOSHUA has been tipped to beat Tyson Fury in a rematch with their first fight ending in a draw by Bernard Hopkins.
Unified champion Joshua and WBC king Fury have verbally agreed to a two-fight deal for next year.
First AJ, 30, faces mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, 39, while Fury, 31, fights Deontay Wilder, 34, for a third time, having dethroned the American in February.
But just like in the Gypsy King’s first go at Wilder, Hopkins predicts the Brit will be subject to a controversial draw against Joshua.
Only now the former two-weight champ expects Fury to walk away with a loss in the rematch, handing AJ the undisputed crown.
Hopkins told iFL TV: “It’ll be a draw and they’ll fight a second time and the second time Joshua would beat him.
“I’m going to go with this one. The first fight is going to be a draw, I’m telling you.
“The second fight Joshua wins, but the first fight will be a draw because it’s going to be hard to score and that’s when the controversy comes in with who got the rounds.
“Both guys are coming in as champion and respected by the public and the judges.
“People will have their own opinion on who will win the fight, but I’m telling you the first fight is going to be so close it’ll be a draw. The second fight will happen and Joshua is going to win.”
Fury completely switched his tactics when he rematched Wilder, dropping his back foot boxing style to apply pressure which resulted in an emphatic stoppage win in the seventh round.
But 55-year-old B-Hop – now a promoter – reckons Joshua will be the one to learn from his mistakes against Fury, leading him to triumph through body shots as he stressed the importance of unifying the division.
Hopkins explained: “I figure [Joshua] makes the adjustments, figures him out and realise he’s got to go for the body instead of the head.
“And then he will fall. The head will hit the knees. Joshua and Fury must fight to secure that undisputed heavyweight king of boxing. The heavyweight has always been the head of the body of the boxing world.”
