Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could finally be set to go head-to-head later this year.
The heavyweight division has been full of drama in 2022 and we could be set for the biggest fight in recent memory to round off the year.
Fury and Joshua nearly faced off last summer but various factors scuppered their blockbuster British clash.
Since their bout was called off, Fury has beaten Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte and retired, twice…
But following Joshua’s recent rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, Fury called out his long-standing rival and the two could now do battle for the WBC heavyweight title.
There is still much in the air regarding the potentially era-defining bout but here’s what we know so far.
Fury vs Joshua: What we know
Fury and Joshua did agree a two-fight deal in early 2021 but that was shelved due to Fury’s contractual obligation to face Wilder for a third time in October of last year.
The Gypsy King beat Wilder and has since seen off Whyte in April to retain his title. He then claimed he would be retiring from the sport.
Joshua, meanwhile, faced Usyk after his Fury clash fell through and lost in London in September 2021. He then, of course, suffered defeat to the Ukrainian again in August 2022.
Now though, Fury and Joshua could be set to clash before the end of the year.
Fury took to Twitter to issue a direct call out to his long-time British rival on September 5, saying: “I think you’ve all heard that I’m going to be fighting in the next few months. I think that before I announce an opponent, I need to do this, just in case.
“Anthony Joshua, I know you’ve just lost a fight to Usyk and you’re belt-less at the moment. I’d like to give you an opportunity to fight me for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world and the lineal championship in the next few months.
“You’re coming off a 12-round fight, you’re match fit, you’re ready. I’m giving you a few months’ notice. If you’re interested, I’ll send you a date over and we can rumble. A battle of Britain for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
“Let me know if you’re interested, if not, I will select another opponent.”
Joshua accepted the call out, responding with: “Yea calm. I don’t do the online discussions just for clout, so if your really about it shout @258mgt. I’ll be ready in December. Khalas.”
Fury vs Joshua: When and where could it happen?
Both fighters have said they are looking to finally meet this December and that month would seemingly fit well with no other ‘major’ bouts booked in. Late November has also been mooted.
That would give this fight free reign when it comes to booking a venue.
London seems unlikely as The O2 Arena would not be big enough for a fight of this magnitude while other stadiums would be outside so not suitable due to the time of year.
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium would seem the best option in the UK as it has a roof and a capacity of 78,000.
Saudi Arabia would be another frontrunner for the bout while Las Vegas or New York’s Madison Square Garden are options too but less likely.
Fury vs Joshua: What has been said?
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told talkSPORT: “I would love to get really excited about this because it’s the fight that I get stopped in the street for more than any fight that could be made and it’s a fight that AJ has wanted for a long time.
“Don’t forget, we signed for this fight last year before the arbitration forced the Deontay Wilder fight for Tyson Fury.
“So, it’s an interesting one, because last week he [Fury] retired, then he came back to fight Usyk, then he made an offer to Derek Chisora, then he wanted half a billion, then he’d retired again, then he’s fighting Usyk in December and now he’s fighting AJ.
“The message is quite clear from AJ, we don’t want to get involved in a backwards and forwards, we want the fight, it’s the fight he’s wanted for a long time.
“We didn’t expect this opportunity, but it’s a great opportunity to fight for the world title in the biggest fight in boxing and we will definitely look at it.
“Fury’s outstanding at getting the public to believe absolute nonsense. It worries me actually what people do believe, if you look at the timeline over the last two or three weeks, it’s unbelievably bizarre.
“Personally, I don’t believe Fury is serious about this, but if he is, which I said to the Warrens last night, 100 percent we will sit down and make the fight.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren told talkSPORT: “It’s us who have made the approach to give AJ a great opportunity to get himself back into the top level against the world champion Tyson.
“He’s willing to make that voluntary defence, so we’ll send the offer across and then they’ll have to look at it and decide whether they wanna grab this with both hands.
“In the UK and hopefully in November, that’s what we’re looking at. It’s perfect timing I think for AJ to accept it.
“For him to get himself back into a position either mandatory or to challenge for a world title is gonna take him a lot of time, so he should grab this with both hands in my opinion.
“But to his credit he has come out saying that he’s up for it.
“I’m not bad-mouthing them or the other side, all we’re interested in doing is making this fight.”
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