Body language expert Inbaal Honigman believes Anthony Joshua looked more polished than Tyson Fury
in their first pre-fight confrontation.
Joshua and Fury face each other on December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The pair met face-to-face for the first time ahead of their fight at a press conference at the Olympia Exhibition Center in London on Wednesday. Honigman offered his interpretation of Joshua and Fury’s body language.
Body language expert Inbaal Honigman points out several behaviors of Tyson Fury during his first confrontation with Anthony Joshua
According to Honigman, both Fury and Joshua appeared confident at first as they posed side by side. However, he interpreted changes in Fury’s demeanor during the face show as possible signs of nervousness or insecurity. Honigman pointed to Fury, for example, standing on his tiptoes, flexing his fingers and chewing as he spoke.
By comparison, Honigman characterized Joshua as calm and composed. Based on these observations, he believes Joshua is better prepared mentally for the fight and has a better chance of winning.
“As they pose side by side, both men appear confident, standing in a solid stance, legs strong, shoulders square, feet shoulder-width apart — this ‘planted’ stance suggests a confident stance,” Honigman said. “But Fury then acts childish, standing on tiptoes and being playful, which shows that he is a little less secure than Joshua. Fury’s fingers flex a little, which is a sign of nerves – unlike Joshua, who is in complete control of his physical body, which is a sign that he is perhaps mentally on top. Maybe Fury is chewing gum, too. While Joshua’s smile remains calm and still when he talks about AJ, AJ’s peaceful expression is a sign that, that Joshua’s composure is better than Fury’s.
Fury (36-2) defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov in April to bounce back from a 2024 loss against Oleksandr Usyk. The “Gypsy King” also won his tune-up battle against Mariusz Wach in July. However, Joshua (30-4) was knocked out Jake Paul
from a bounce back knockout loss last year Daniel Dubois. Joshua survived two early knockouts in a tune-up fight against Kristian Prenga before scoring a second-round knockout in July.