Anthony Joshua‘s anticipated bout against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia faces uncertainty due to a change in the event organization. Initially planned for January 2024, the involvement shift from Skill Challenge Entertainment to the General Sports Authority led to the matchup falling through. Promoter Eddie Hearn discussed potential February or March 2024 dates in other locations.
Despite the Wilder bout’s hiccup, plans for Joshua to compete against Tyson Fury or Francis Ngannou align within the same timeframe, offering boxing fans alternative high-profile matchups in the coming year. Hearn has some advice for Joshua in this regard.
In an interview with iFL TV, Hearn gave an insight into the future fights. Mentioning Fury, he said the ‘Gypsy King’ will fight Oleksandr Usyk since there is a humongous amount of money involved. However, he might retire after the bout. But if both Fury and Joshua both beat their opponents in their respective upcoming fights and then decide to battle each other, it would cause a storm. However, the ball, as Hearn contended, is in Fury’s court at the moment.
Hearn is still hopeful about the fight. As he said, “I think if you said to AJ, bear in your mind how important it is to fight for the world heavyweight championship; I think if you said to AJ- what would you prefer? To win the world heavyweight championship again or to fight Tyson Fury, I think he might say the world heavyweight championship, but deep down if he doesn’t fight Fury in his career, he’d be gutted.”
Though a match with Fury might not be on Joshua’s priority list, Hearn thinks his career will be incomplete without locking horns with his long-time rival.
The riveting storyline of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, born from their shared ambition for heavyweight unification, stands as a compelling narrative in modern sports history. In the negotiations between Fury and Joshua for their Battle of Britain heavyweight fight in 2022, Fury set deadlines. Much to the disappointment of fans, Joshua missed them and a furious Fury called off the bout. Even extending the deadlines and attempts to reschedule in 2023 could not materialize the fight.
Despite a massive global fanbase, charismatic personalities, and intense verbal sparring, the much-anticipated bout never materialized due to various factors. These include disagreements over terms, mandatory challengers, and contractual obligations with different boxing organizations. The highly anticipated clash between the two promised a rare unification of heavyweight titles. Additionally, it would feature the intriguing matchup of Fury’s elusive style against Joshua’s powerful technique.
