Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua remains the biggest dream for British boxing fans, and it is so close you can almost touch it.
Four years ago these two superstars came oh so close to finally meeting in a professional ring, when they signed a two-fight deal with the first showdown scheduled for Riyadh in August 2021.
But then along came US banger Deontay Wilder to win an arbitration ruling to instead force a trilogy match with Fury. The chance for Fury vs Joshua was lost, and several years on, the wait goes on.
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Now though there is renewed optimism that the bout will happen, despite the fact that right now Fury is retired, and Joshua is recovering from elbow surgery which will keep him out of action until later this year.
Fury recently put fight fans on red alert when he released an 11-second video with trainer Sugar Hill Steward which dropped the biggest hint yet that he is coming back
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn obviously watched that with interest, and he believes that a showdown with AJ will be the sort of huge occasion ‘The Gypsy King’ will not be able to turn down.
Hearn on Fury ‘comeback video’
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Yeah, I mean, I feel like Tyson Fury’s a bit of a teaser, really, isn’t he? I mean, all we see on Insta is him. Even today, you know, I come out of a press conference, went on Instagram, and he’s there with his racks on – 12 rounds of boxing. I’m like, ‘why are you doing this to us? What are you doing? Are you just deliberately playing with our minds, or are you coming back?’ Just let us know either way – put us out of our misery.
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“I mean look, AJ’s gotta have a little keyhole surgery on an elbow, he’ll be back post-September. It’s there, isn’t it? Let’s just make it happen. And when we talk about big fights, this fight is the biggest fight – not just in British boxing – in world boxing, by a mile. And I just feel like it’s time, you know? This is the moment. We’re reliant upon Tyson Fury. We’re ready to go. But obviously he’s gotta be comfortable, he’s gotta be up for it. He’s a competitive so-and-so. And I just know in his mind he’ll wanna dance with Anthony Joshua. So, dust those shoes off and let’s make it happen.”
In the past there were other barriers to making this fight a reality – boxing politics meant either or both men owning world titles put an extra level of complexity in there. Also Hearn and Fury’s promoter Frank Warren were in a situation where they had never spoken to each other.
No barriers any more
Now the Matchroom/Queensberry working relationship is a strong one, with their fighters opposing each other regularly. And neither Fury nor Joshua no longer holds a world title – those are owned by Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois ahead of their July 19 unification blockbuster.
Hearn rammed home how straightforward this negotiation should be, revealing: “Honestly, one phone call. Previously, one had a belt. One was the challenger. One was unified. Me and Frank Warren never spoke. Me and Tyson Fury didn’t get on. That ship’s sailed now. And it really is one phone call just to say, look, here are the terms. You’re both not champions at the moment, but you’re both huge stars. Let’s just get on with it and make it happen.
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“So, that’s why I feel like now, everything that’s happened in the past -and I’m not saying it’s anybody’s fault, it’s probably all of our faults in some way – but forget that. We’ve got the path now to make it happen.
“We saw with Benn-Eubank how great these all-British fights can be. I mean, that was just an unforgettable night. This one’s twice the size. So yeah, fingers crossed. But I’m quietly confident.”
How much would Fury and Joshua earn?
Hearn has gone on record several times in the past as saying both British fighters could expect to earn north of £100m each for one night’s work. Quite simply, there is no bigger fight out there for either man.
