Talks are reportedly at an “advanced stage” for the Battle of Britain box office bout between career-long rivals Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
The heavyweight fighters have long been linked with one another — arguably for well over a decade, considering their size, closeness in age, and shared nationality.
However, like natural rivals Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, this is a fight that never took place when they were in their respective primes.
And so, instead, they wage war when they’re well into their 30s, if they even do at all.
Fury’s successful return to the ring, though, against Arslanbek Makhmudov earlier in the month, appeared to escalate the likelihood of the fight finally coming to fruition.
The Brobdingnagian fighter even attempted to lure AJ into the ring when he saw Joshua was watching his Makhmudov win from ringside. But Joshua, unfazed, remained seated the whole time, deferring instead to Fjury to simply enjoy his moment.
Then, Joshua’s representative, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, indicated that Turki Alalshikh presented them with a two-fight offer that the fighter would likely accept.
It’s the second fight of that arrangement that would see Joshua fight Fury, with a warm-up beforehand taking place around the summer — possibly against Deontay Wilder.
Now, Hearn said the fight is at an “advanced stage,” according to Colm McGuigan.
The iFL TV reporter even said Hearn told him that the agreement with Fury is for two fights, with the first bout set to air on DAZN, and a rematch to take place on Netflix.
All that remains to be seen is whether Joshua fights Wilder as a warm-up, or seeks an alternative option.
