Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, has once again hinted that an all-British heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could happen this year.
Fury and Joshua have been involved in a long-winded rivalry, and after a fight between the pair failed to materialise last year, ‘The Gypsy King’ ruled out the possibility of the bout ever coming to fruition.
However, in an interview with Boxing UK, Hearn mentioned the possibility of Joshua fighting Fury as early as the summer if the Usyk fight doesn’t materialise.
“There’s a chance I guess that Fury doesn’t fight Usyk, I think he will, but if he doesn’t there’s a lot more money out there for him to fight Anthony Joshua. So maybe we make that fight in the summer, I have no idea. The Wilder fight, the same.
They are fights for me that should happen in 2023.”“
Before Joshua can push for a fight with the WBC champion, he must first bounce back from back-to-back defeats, following successive defeats to the now unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk.
Upon his return to the ring, the Brit has appointed Derrick James as his new trainer, who also trains world champions Errol Spence Jr and Jermell Charlo and encourages an aggressive style.
The two-time champion will be hoping that James can help him return to his old, ruthless style and will be putting his new skills to the test against America’s Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua will face Franklin on April 1st at the O2 Arena in London, where the undercard will see Felix Cash challenge for the EBU European Middleweight Title, whilst Craig Richards takes on Ricards Bolotniks for the WBA Inter-Continental Light-Heavyweight Title.