Anthony Joshua deserves more respect and has got a better boxing record than Tyson Fury, talkSPORT told by Johnny Nelson

Johnny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua has a better boxing record than Tyson Fury and does not get the respect he deserves.

The Brit returns to the ring on Saturday night to face mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev at the Wembley Arena, where his WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight trinkets will be on the line.

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Although it may seem incredulous, Joshua only started boxing at the age of 18 and won Olympic Gold at the London Games in 2012.

Since then, he has continued to rack up victories as a professional and was a world champion in just his 16th bout when he knocked out Charles Martin in the second round of their IBF title clash.

He has stopped Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte and the only blemish on his career came when was stunned by Andy Ruiz Jr in New York in the summer of 2019, before avenging that dfeat six months later.

Despite the success Joshua has enjoyed, there are plenty of doubters about his boxing abilities and, for many, he would be the underdog in a unification fight with Tyson Fury.

However, Nelson believes the 31-year-old deserves greater respect for his achievements.

And while, Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder in February, Nelson believes Joshua has faced a higher calibre of fighters than his rival.

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“No he doesn’t,” Nelson told marvelbet369.com, when asked if AJ gets the respect he deserves.

“You’ve got to look at the amount of champions or ex-champions he has boxed.

“Out of all them – including Tyson Fury – look at the calibre and the titles of the guys that he has boxed have had.

“People just seem to forget that in an instance so I can imagine that frustration from AJ.

“He must be thinking, ‘Hold on, look at all these champions I have boxed. Why are people ignoring this and making Fury a favourite when I have done this and he's not even boxed half the calibre of fighters Joshua has fought'.

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"Unfortunately, unless you do your homework and look in depth, you have to make up your own mind.

“Don’t be swayed by what is said on the microphone or what you read in the newspaper; be swayed by what you see, be swayed by fact, be swayed by what actually works.”

Fans have not seen Joshua fight in more than 12 months because of the pandemic, having regained his titles last time out with his 12-round schooling of Ruiz Jr in Saudi Aravia.

Despite the lack of action in the ring and a genuine fear Pulev could cause an upset on Saturday night, Nelson believes the lack of activity cannot be used as an excuse for either fighter after the final bell tolls.

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“This lockdown has been a leveller for everybody,” he added. “Ring rust is no excuse for anybody.

“Because everybody is in the same position and it is not exclusive to any fighter; it’s the same for AJ as it is for Pulev.

“He’s not boxed for so long as well, so these guys have been training and sparring, they’re preparing and I’m quite sure all he could do was box and train with sparring partners.

“So the only difference is you’re doing it in public and this ring rust line can’t be used by any fighter because everybody is in the same position and the only difference is that you are not performing in front of a crowd.”