Despite boxing delivering in a big way in 2024, one fight fans still seek is an all-British heavyweight battle between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Though the two former champions have come close, sent contracts and even fought the same men, a match-up remains just a step too far from current plans. Many feel it’s getting closer, but it’s no secret that so is retirement.
With Fury having just lost out on the undisputed heavyweight championship to the man who twice-beat ‘AJ’, Oleksandr Usyk, he now begins to prepare for a rematch. Joshua is enjoying a resurgence that will see him fight in September at Wembley Stadium in the hopes of building on a four-fight win streak.
Derek Chisora, a friend of both and three-time opponent of Fury’s, believes fans want to see ‘The Gypsy King’ swerve the Usyk rematch for the Joshua fight instead. He told Title Sports Network it’s a contest he believes Fury loses inside the distance.
“Tyson versus AJ now, should be. AJ [wins by] knockout. He’s fighting different now. He’s a different animal now.”
Joshua’s recent run of form has, intriguingly, included two former Fury foes. He stopped Otto Wallin in five and Francis Ngannou in two. Both men took Fury the distance.
The Londoner also has a secret weapon in Ben Davison, the trainer who oversaw Fury’s return to the sport. Fans know both fighters are vulnerable, largely thanks to Usyk, which makes the fight perhaps more appealing than ever. Whether or not it happens before one or both call it a day remains to be seen.
