Promoter Eddie Hearn stated that the only genuinely massive fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua was between them. The former two-time heavyweight champ said the fight “has to happen in 2025.” While visiting Nigeria, where Joshua’s parents were born, AJ said he wants to fight Fury this year.
There has been some talk of the two former heavyweight champions, who have lost twice to the great Oleksandr Usyk, having two fights, with mega-money to be scooped up by both fighters. It remains the one fight both men need. A fight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder aside (this fight should have taken place in 2018 or 2019 before Wilder lost his unbeaten record when Fury stopped him in February 2020), Joshua-Fury has been the most called-for heavyweight match-up of its time.
Now that AJ has called for the fight, we must hope Fury is equally interested.
“I’ve been involved in a whole lot of fights, but this has to happen in 2025,” Joshua said when speaking to SportsBoom.com. “Of course, it has to happen, and hopefully, it does happen.”
So, the ball now appears to be in Tyson Fury’s court. But will Fury want this fight or fights, or might the former champion who told us all so many times that “no man born from his mother could ever beat me,” instead retire from the sport, knowing he can never utter such words again? Fury could pull in another fortune with a fight or fights with Joshua, but will Fury risk losing for a third time?
Money usually does talk, and Turki Alalshikh can be expected to dangle an enormous carrot in front of Fury and Joshua, but will both men bite? Joshua wants to fight Fury, but does Fury want to fight Joshua? Let’s see how long it is before we hear back from Fury.
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