Two of British boxing’s biggest names in recent years – Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – have seemed destined to face off for a while now. But to the dismay of fans, the fight has always failed to materialize.
However, ahead of Joshua’s IBF heavyweight title fight against reigning champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, his promotor Eddie Hearn told CNN Sport the marquee fight could be around the corner, depending on what happens in the near future.
If Joshua beats Dubois to become a three-time world heavyweight champion and Fury reclaims his title belts in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December, Hearn believes the all-British heavyweight clash to potentially decide the division’s undisputed champion could happen next year.
“Firstly, we’ll get Saturday out the way. But the plan has always been to see Anthony Joshua become undisputed,” Hearn told CNN’s Amanda Davies. “Obviously, he fell at that almost final hurdle to Oleksandr Usyk (in 2021) and now, four wins on the bounce, three knockouts, I think looking better than ever. If he wins on Saturday, it’s all eyes on December 21 in Riyadh to see who wins the rematch between Fury and Usyk.
“I mean, is there a person in the world who doesn’t want to see Tyson Fury fight Anthony Joshua? I think we’ll see it. I think (chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority) Turki Al-AlShaikh will make that fight in 2025, but if both guys win, you have the biggest fight in the history of the sport.
“And I don’t think AJ can retire, I don’t think Fury can retire, I don’t think I can retire either until we get those two in the ring. And if we can do it for undisputed, what a night that will be.”
Joshua faces a stiff test to become a world champion again though in the form of 27-year-old Dubois.
Dubois has 21 wins and two losses in his 23 professional fights – like Joshua, he has also lost to Usyk. He claimed the IBF title after beating Filip Hrgović in June.
The British pair will exchange blows at a packed-out Wembley Stadium in front of 96,000 fans, a record British boxing attendance.
The event could be made even more high-profile with rumors flying that Liam Gallagher could be joined on stage by his brother Noel to perform ahead of the fight, before their 2025 Oasis reunion tour. When those reports were put to him, Hearn didn’t shut the idea down, saying: “Don’t rule anything out.”
And having exploded onto the boxing scene nine years ago – including his famous victory over Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in 2017 – Hearn says 34-year-old Joshua still has that fire to keep winning.
“Talking to him, he wants this so bad and a lot of the time in the past, he’s kept a lid on it,” Hearn explained. “As he’s now 34, he’s long in the game, he’s very experienced, I don’t think he’s afraid to let people know how desperately he wants to win. And that’s a good thing.
“I think the hunger that he has having achieved everything he’s achieved, to still consistently work at the level he did when he first started out in the game, he’s an extraordinary athlete. And I really feel like Saturday night is just part of this undisputed story of Anthony Joshua.
“And if he wins on Saturday to become a three-time world heavyweight champion, he’s one fight away from becoming undisputed after Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fight later this year. So it’s a massive night for him, huge fight for British boxing.”
The undercard ahead of Joshua’s fight with Dubois will begin at 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET), with ring walks for the main event scheduled for 9:45 p.m. (4:45 p.m. ET).
