Former unified world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis held nothing back when speaking about the boxing future of fellow Brit Anthony Joshua.

‘AJ’, himself a former two-time world heavyweight champion, suffered a major scare in his recent bout with unheralded Albanian Kristian Prenga.

Fighting for the first time since witnessing the deaths of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele in a tragic car accident, Joshua was floored by Prenga within the first 30 seconds of the contest.

The 36-year-old would hit the deck again before the end of the opening session, but managed to survive to see the end of the round. Joshua finally found his rhythm in the second, knocking Prenga through the ropes as he secured a brutal knockout.

Immediately after the fight, the Watford man hyped up his long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury, which has been signed for the latter part of 2026.

Lennox Lewis on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua

However, one man who is not necessarily looking forward to the fight is Lewis. In a recent interview with The Ring, Lennox reasoned:

“Obviously, this has turned into a money thing. The fight should have happened [years ago], but they want to make the fight, and [still] can make some money out of it. You can’t say either is at their best now.

“Definitely, Fury is closer, but both are shadows of their former selves. I’d side with Fury, he showed me more in his two fights than Joshua has recently.”

Fury returned to the ring after a 16-month absence back in April when he beat Arslanbek Makhmudov, before defeating 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in an untelevised bout last month. Neither performance earned ‘The Gypsy King’ positive reviews.

Lewis, though, is even more concerned about Joshua’s apparent decline.

Lennox Lewis’ Brutally Honest Opinion on Anthony Joshua’s Future in Boxing

Credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

“He [Joshua] boxed a YouTuber [Jake Paul], now boxed a guy who knocked him down twice and next faces Fury? That’s a big step up.

“Does he really belong in the ring right now? A virtual novice put him on the ground twice in the first round. Is that it? Have we seen the last of him? It’s not like he’s his old self.”

Regardless of the questions regarding Joshua’s ability, his showdown with Fury is seemingly set to take place, with a date and venue reportedly having already been agreed.

Lewis knew it was time to retire when he was badly hurt by Vitali Klitschko in their June 2003 fight. Vitali lost the bout due to a severe cut above his left eye, but Lennox, knowing that his best days were behind him, ultimately decided to retire instead of giving the Ukrainian a rematch.

Judging by his recent comments, Lewis is hoping that Joshua makes the same decision, rather than facing Fury.

West Ham have opened talks to sign another Sunderland star alongside Wilson Isidor, according to Sky Sports.

West Ham have been linked with a move to sign Sunderland striker Isidor in the summer transfer window, with reports suggesting that he could be available for around £20 million this summer.

The Hammers are looking to build a squad capable of gaining promotion straight back to the Premier League after they were relegated last season.

Thankfully for Nuno Espirito Santo, they have managed to keep hold of a large portion of their key stars so far, despite losing Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes.

Jarrod Bowen committed himself to West Ham despite their relegation, which was a huge boost for the club.

West Ham open Sunderland talks

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

According to a report from Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie, West Ham have opened talks to sign Sunderland winger Simon Adingra on a potential loan move in the summer transfer window.

West Ham’s approach for the Ivory Coast international is believed to be under discussion.

Adingra made the move to Sunderland last summer for a fee of around £20 million from fellow Premier League side Brighton, before spending the second half of last season on loan at French side Monaco.

West Ham set to lose highly-rated midfielder

West Ham look set to lose one of their young midfielders, with Freddie Potts closing in on a £10 million deal with Club Brugge.

Potts has been given permission to travel for a medical as he edges closer to leaving the club this summer.

The 22-year-old recently spoke about how he was looking forward to trying to help the Hammers get back to the Premier League, but just weeks later he is set to depart.

West Ham clearly felt that £10 million was good value for an academy player, which would represent pure profit on the books in terms of transfer regulations.

Chelsea have reached an agreement to sell one of their stars this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

With Chelsea looking to spend significantly this summer, the reality is some players will be forced to leave the club.

Xabi Alonso’s side will need to offload some of their current squad in order to continue spending, as they’ve already had a busy summer window.

The Blues have already confirmed the signings of Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, and Danny Welbeck in the summer transfer window so far.

A host of players such as Valentin Barco, Giovanni Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha have also arrived, but those deals were agreed long before the start of the summer.

It’ll be interesting to see how much more Chelsea will be willing to spend this summer, but it does feel like exits are inevitable.

Chelsea reach exit agreement

According to Fabrizio Romano, Italian side Como have reached a verbal agreement to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah this summer.

Chalobah, described as ‘flawless’ by Tosin Adarabioyo, may have fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea after they confirmed the signing of Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.

A move to Como gives Chalobah the opportunity to hopefully play more regular first-team football under an exciting young manager in Cesc Fabregas.

Chelsea retain sell-on clause

GIVEMSPORT understands that the total fee for Chalobah is €30 million up front plus €6 million in add-ons.

Sources have confirmed that Chelsea also retain a sell-on clause in the contract, meaning they could make further money on Chalobah if he departs Como in the future.

Chalobah has already agreed personal terms with Como, and with a fee now agreed between the two clubs, it shouldn’t be too long before he’s officially a confirmed signing for Como.

Chelsea appear to have already replaced Chalobah with Lacroix this summer, so it made sense for them to green light this deal.