Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally meet at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday 11 December, live on Netflix. The Fury Joshua odds are for a fight between two men who have rebuilt their careers, and the coaches in each corner explain a lot about how they did it.
Fury has kept SugarHill Steward as his trainer. Joshua has gone back to Ben Davison, the man who guided Fury’s return to boxing in 2018. That gives the fight a tactical subplot few heavyweight contests can match.
SugarHill Steward: Kronk-style pressure
Steward is the nephew of the late Emanuel Steward and learned his trade at the Kronk Gym in Detroit, where he first met Fury in 2010. He became Fury’s head trainer after Fury and Davison split in December 2019.
The change worked straight away. Two months later, Fury dropped the back-foot style that had earned him a draw in his first fight with Deontay Wilder. He walked Wilder down in the rematch and stopped him in seven rounds. He then knocked Wilder out again in their third fight in October 2021.
In February there were reports that Fury would train alone for his comeback. He is back with Steward and preparing in Miami for this fight. Since his return, Fury has beaten Arslanbek Makhmudov on a unanimous decision in April and forced Mariusz Wach to retire on his stool in July.
Expect Steward to send Fury forward, using his size to lean on Joshua and make him work at close range.
Ben Davison: the man who knows Fury best
Davison trained Fury for five fights from his 2018 comeback, including the first Wilder fight. He then worked with Joshua from 2023 until Joshua lost to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. That spell included a second-round knockout of Francis Ngannou.
After the Dubois defeat, Joshua joined Oleksandr Usyk’s team, with Iegor Golub as his lead trainer. He knocked out Jake Paul in December 2025 and Kristian Prenga in July. Joshua has confirmed he will work with Davison for this fight, but it is not yet clear whether Davison will be lead trainer or part of a wider team. Promoter Eddie Hearn has called Davison “one of the best trainers in the world”.
Davison’s value is what he knows. He has seen Fury’s habits, feints and conditioning up close in camp. Fury and his brother Shane jokingly called him a “traitor” at the launch press conference.
The Peter Fury factor
Joshua also told reporters that Peter Fury, Tyson’s uncle and former trainer, had been giving him advice. Fury rejected the claim on Instagram, calling it “the biggest BS I’ve ever seen”.
Peter trained Fury early in his career, until a reported falling-out after Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Even as an informal adviser, he would add to what Davison already knows.
How the corners could decide it
Steward’s plan is likely to be built on pressure, with Fury making Joshua work in the clinches and pushing him back. Joshua was knocked down twice by Prenga before winning, which will encourage Fury’s corner to go after him early.
Davison needs to keep Joshua composed under fire. He also needs a jab-led plan that keeps Fury at range and punishes him when he comes forward. What Davison knows about Fury could be the difference in the middle rounds.
For more fights coming up, take a look at the latest boxing betting odds at Sky Bet.