It’s been a long wait, and here we are again, with that Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua blockbuster seemingly very close.
For years now a showdown between the two British heavyweight greats has been the biggest draw in the sport, with only one problem – as yet it hasn’t happened.
Twice they have come very close to meeting – first in 2021 when a deal was agreed before Deontay Wilder won an arbitration ruling to instead force a trilogy fight vs Fury.
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Then in 2022 the drums were beating loudly again for an all-British superfight, but in the end talks broke down and Fury instead engaged in a trilogy vs Dereck Chisora.
Now, yet again, Fury vs Joshua is in the works, but this time it feels different. That would be because of the involvement of Turki Alalshikh and his Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority.
Alalshikh has showcased in the last 18 months the ability to make any fight – bouts which had seemed impossible to put together are now coming thick and fast. And even Fury vs Joshua seems plausible.
Recently Alalshikh spoke about March 2025 as a likely landing spot for Fury vs Joshua, and Matchroom behemoth Barry Hearn has now re-iterated that timeline in a TV interview.
Fury vs Joshua timeline
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Joshua against Tyson Fury in early 2025 is the fight that we have a responsibility to deliver and we don’t walk away from our responsibilities. Yes, I think it’s all of our duty, those involved. We have to keep delivering the very best product.
“We need to do that fight. I think personally that Usyk beats Fury in the rematch. It’s easier to make if Fury beats Usyk, because then if Joshua has beaten [Daniel] Dubois then you’ve got the unification fight because Joshua will hold the IBF belt.
“It’s the one the world’s waiting for. There isn’t a venue big enough to stage the number of people that would like to attend that. It will be colossal.”
What happens next?
As Barry said, there are two huge fights coming up this year which will shape a) whether Fury vs Joshua really does happen and b) how big it will be.
Joshua of course challenges Daniel Dubois on September 21 at Wembley Stadium for the IBF heavyweight title – winning would make him a three-time world heavyweight champion.
Then, on December 21 in Riyadh, Fury will rematch Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC, WBA, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal heavyweight titles. If he wins, he will hold all of those baubles.
Put simply, if both men lose those next fights, neither will have a world title. If both win, they will hold all of the belts and be set for an undisputed showdown in early 2025. The difference between those two scenarios is cavernous in terms of marketability and money.
Now, once again, we wait…
