Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have been on a collision course for the best part of a decade but are inching closer to finally meeting in the ring
Anthony Joshua will fight the winner of Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk if he beats Daniel Dubois tonight.
Joshua and Fury have been on a collision course for the past 10 years, with their closest encounter in 2021 when they agreed to an undisputed fight. However, Fury was pulled into a legal dispute with Deontay Wilder, leading to a third bout with the American. Meanwhile, Joshua lost his world titles to Oleksandr Usyk, who outperformed him twice – once in London and then in Saudi Arabia.
Despite this setback, Joshua has claimed victory in four subsequent fights against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, pushing him back into the spotlight. Joshua returns to the ring tonight at Wembley where he will face Dubois for the younger man’s world title.
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Anthony Joshua will take on Daniel Dubois at Wembley on September 21 with the fight being broadcast on DAZN pay-per-view. DAZN is the home of all the major fights from the boxing world and this sold-out event will now be available to watch worldwide on the service, with a purchase bagging you a DAZN seven-day free trial.
If Joshua manages to become world champion title for the third time – and providing Fury triumphs over Usyk in their December rematch – the two Brits are slated to clash again in Saudi Arabia next year, with a potential rematch in the UK on the cards.
Fury and Joshua could have meet as early as February next year but Fury’s rematch with Usyk was pushed back from October until four days before Christmas. That means the two Brits could meet in April or May with a rematch back in the UK next autumn. And Fury, who will be ringside at Wembley alongside Usyk, is confident the bout can finally take place.
“I think now Saudis are involved and His Excellency is controlling everything, and he can make these fights like that, because money is not a problem and it’s always about money in these deals, why they don’t get made,” he said earlier this year. “So when money is no object being then it’s easy. It’s easy to make. All of the fights are easy to make. You know, whatever fights are out there in any weight division, the Turk will make them. Easy.”
And even if Fury doesn’t avenge his May defeat by Usyk, he could still fight Joshua, according to the latter’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “I do think AJ-Fury will happen regardless of whether Fury wins or not, but the size of the fight depends on their next two results,” he told BBC Sport. “If AJ beats Dubois and Fury beats Usyk, you’ve got the biggest fight in the history of the sport ever. If one loses and the other wins, it’s still a monster fight.”
