For years, Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua was heavyweight boxing’s golden goose.
The hypothetical battle between the two best British heavyweight boxers of their generation was long-touted but due to a variety of reasons failed to come to fruition despite several false starts which appeared to suggest an agreement was imminent.
The potential bout had appeared farther away than ever following Joshua’s 2024 knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in which he failed to win the IBF heavyweight title and then Fury’s second successive loss against Oleksandr Usyk in December — after which the ‘Gypsy King’ subsequently announced his retirement (again) from boxing.
But according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, things can move fast in high level boxing.
“This is the kind of fight that probably gets made over a DM between the two or a text or a call,” Hearn said, according to the BBC. “It’s like ‘look, do you fancy it?’ That’s it. And then, bang, it’s done.
“Neither of them are champions,” Hearn added. Both are huge names, both at the back ends of their careers, but more importantly both are still relatively in their prime. Before AJ lost to Dubois, everyone said this is the best AJ we’ve ever seen. And Fury never really showed any signs of decline against Usyk. He just got beat by the pound-for-pound number one.”
Hearn, though, admits the clock is ticking if indeed there is any chance of making the fight, which would very likely be a large moneymaker for both boxers, acknowledging that Joshua has “one-to-three fights” left before he retires.
“If AJ was to lose again, [the Fury fight] isn’t really there any more. Maybe his career isn’t either, so we are not in any tearing rush,” Hearn said.
“Tyson looks in great shape. I think he said the other day he’s training twice a day, so it’d be very easy for him to go into 10-week camp,” Hearn added. “The next decision for AJ is going to be really important. I hope it’s Tyson Fury — we’ll see what the boxing gods allow.”
English