The 30-second version
- ✓Fury when dropped: 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. He has never been stopped.
- ✓Joshua when dropped: 2 wins, 2 losses — and both losses came when he was pressed while hurt.
- ✓Fury survives inside the round: tie up, move, wait. Joshua recovers between rounds and comes back behind the right hand.
- ✓Joshua's 2026 comeback from two first-round knockdowns against Prenga is his clearest proof of improved composure.
- ✓Fury isn't a Ruiz- or Dubois-style swarmer — which changes what a knockdown means in this fight.
● The short answer
Tyson Fury has been knocked down in six professional fights — by Neven Pajkić (2011), Steve Cunningham (2013), Deontay Wilder (twice in 2018 and twice in 2021), Francis Ngannou (2023) and, via a count, Oleksandr Usyk (2024) — and won four of them, drew one and lost one. Anthony Joshua has been dropped in four: by Wladimir Klitschko (2017), Andy Ruiz Jr. (2019), Daniel Dubois (2024) and Kristian Prenga (2026), winning two. Fury recovers inside the round by holding and moving; Joshua is most dangerous to himself when a hurt round continues, and best when he gets to the corner and resets.
Heavyweight fights are decided as often by the thirty seconds after a knockdown as by the punch that caused it. Fury and Joshua have been on the floor more than their reputations suggest. How they got up is the most honest scouting report there is.
Fury: six fights, never stopped
Neven Pajkić, 2011 — dropped in the second, won in the third. Steve Cunningham, 2013 — dropped in the second at Madison Square Garden, won by knockout in the seventh. Deontay Wilder, 2018 — dropped in the ninth and in the twelfth, the second time so heavily that almost everyone in the arena thought it was over; he rose and finished the round. The fight was a draw. Wilder, 2021 — dropped twice in the fourth, after dropping Wilder in the third, and knocked him out in the eleventh. Francis Ngannou, 2023 — dropped in the third, won a split decision. Oleksandr Usyk, May 2024 — hurt badly in the ninth, saved by a count, lost a split decision.
The pattern: Fury survives inside the round. He holds, turns, walks away, lets the clock run. His recovery is technical, not heroic.
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Joshua: four fights, two answers
Wladimir Klitschko, 2017 — dropped in the sixth, got through the round, and stopped Klitschko in the eleventh. Andy Ruiz Jr., 2019 — dropped twice in the third and twice in the seventh; stopped. Daniel Dubois, 2024 — dropped in the first, third and fourth, and knocked out in the fifth. Kristian Prenga, 2026 — dropped twice in the first, knocked Prenga out in the second.
The pattern: when Joshua gets to his corner, he comes back — against Klitschko and against Prenga, both times behind the right hand. When he is hurt and the opponent keeps coming inside the same round, the knockdowns stack up. Ruiz and Dubois both did exactly that.
What it means for Cardiff
Fury is not a pressure puncher who swarms a hurt man. He is far more likely to step back and make Joshua come to him. That removes the scenario in which Joshua has lost, and puts him in the one where he has won — the reset between rounds. Joshua's problem with Fury isn't the knockdown; it's the long, heavy fight that follows.
Fury's problem is simpler. Joshua is one of the biggest punchers he has ever faced, and his right hand comes straight. Fury gets up. He has always got up. The question is whether he still gets up as easily at 38.
What fighters can take from it
Survival is a skill you train. Fury's clinch-and-move and Joshua's between-round reset are both drills, not gifts. The composure after being hurt Joshua showed in Jeddah is the most trainable, least trained part of the sport.
Every fighter gets hit. The ones who last are the ones who planned for the thirty seconds after.
The series: the tactical breakdown · five men who fought both · the fight that kept dying.
FAQ
How many times has Tyson Fury been knocked down?+
Fury has been down in six professional fights, including twice against Deontay Wilder in 2021 and once against Francis Ngannou in 2023. He won four of those fights, drew one (Wilder, 2018) and lost one (Usyk, May 2024).
How many times has Anthony Joshua been knocked down?+
Joshua has been dropped in four fights: by Klitschko (2017, won), Ruiz Jr. (2019, lost), Dubois (2024, lost) and Prenga (2026, won).
Who recovers better, Fury or Joshua?+
Fury has the better record after being dropped and has never been stopped. Joshua's recent fight with Prenga, where he got up twice and won in the second round, shows his recovery has improved.
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