With negotiations still continuing over a venue for his undisputed world heavyweight title showdown against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua is supremely confident the fight will take place and that he will emerge victorious.
Despite provisionally agreeing a two-fight deal to face WBC king Fury last June, this has been a complicated bout to make, given Covid-19 restrictions on crowd attendance, heavyweight politics and conflicting television networks.
But hope is in sight with WBA Super, WBO and IBF champion Joshua confirming the deal is tied up on his side.
“I’ve signed my side of the deal,” Joshua told The Jonathan Ross Show, which airs tonight at 9.35pm on ITV in the UK. “We’ve sent [Tyson] a good offer, one I’m sure he won’t refuse. He wants the fight, no doubt about it, so do I and, more than me and him, the whole public want it.
“I put my crystal ball out there and I say it’s going to happen this year one hundred per cent. Unfortunately, he’s not going to win.
“I’m pretty sure it’ll be this year. End of July, early August,” continued Joshua. “Where? That’s what’s the delay, because of this pandemic. We want to have people coming to the venue. It’s just finding the right location. For me, Wembley would be ideal.”
Saudi Arabia remains the heavyweight mega-bout’s likely destination.