Matchroom Promoter Eddie Hearn has been trying to stage an all-British heavyweight title clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury for over five years now but as of yet, the two domestic rivals are yet to cross paths. Now, with rumours swirling that their long-awaited meeting could be around the corner, Hearn has declared his belief that Joshua-Fury could still take place in 2025, even if both men were to lose their next fights.
The pair came close to a clash back in 2021 but Deontay Wilder instead managed to intervene and force an unwanted trilogy fight with Fury – that ultimately proved to be the best of their three enthralling encounters. Meanwhile, Joshua was forced to defend his unified titles against former undisputed cruiserweight champion and then WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk.
Of course, Usyk would go on to famously defeat Joshua twice to derail the career of ‘AJ’, before triumphing over Tyson Fury earlier this year in a legendary battle to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century.
However, whilst Fury hopes to reclaim his WBC title in a rematch with the Ukrainian in December, Joshua has rebuilt himself and finds himself challenging for the IBF heavyweight title this month against Daniel Dubois – where he hopes to become boxing’s fifth three-time heavyweight ruler.
Speaking with talkSPORT, Eddie Hearn explained why he believes that Joshua and Fury may still go toe-to-toe if they were to both lose those respective contests and if no belts were on the line, but admitted that the event would be much more significant if both were victorious and the undisputed throne was on the line.
“I think that we are [going to get AJ-Fury eventually], but the size of that fight very much depends on September 21st and December 21st. If ‘AJ’ was to beat Dubois and Fury was to beat Usyk then my God, it is going to take all of the budgets to secure that fight because it is the biggest fight in the history of the sport.
“If ‘AJ’ wins and Fury loses, you have heard from His Excellency that he wants to make that fight. If ‘AJ’ loses and Fury loses, I think you would probably still see it, depending on the desire. I think that we are always going to want to see that fight. I think that the nature of the defeats would certainly be [a determining factor].
“The problem is, if they both lose, the value of that fight reduces and then both guys could look at it and say ‘I don’t need that fight’. Will Fury leave the sport? What will AJ do [if he loses]? Who knows.”
Joshua-Dubois takes place on September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London, where the two Briton’s collide in a third all-English heavyweight title affair in as many years, topping a stellar undercard that features a plethora of British talent. Meanwhile, Usyk-Fury II will go ahead on December 21st in Riyadh, with further details set to be announced in due course.
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