Anthony Joshua's Tyson Fury fight plans prove confidence over Daniel Dubois bout
It appears that Anthony Joshua's camp is already making plans for beyond the Daniel Dubois fight, with rumours of a fight with rival Tyson Fury abounding.
Saudi Arabian minister Turki Alalshikh has confirmed that he is gearing up to make an offer to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury for the British pair to finally do battle. The chairman of the General Entertainment Authority admitted that he has designs on putting on the long-awaited bout between heavyweight superstars after their upcoming respective fights.
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The prospect of the boxing icons facing off against each other for the first time in their careers has been mooted by both camps stretching back a number of years. However, the stars may finally allign in that regard with Joshua and Fury potentially in a position to fight for the undisputed honours by the end of the year.
All four world heavyweight belts will be up for grabs if the pair can be coaxed into stepping into the ring - provided they both win their next fights. In the case of 'AJ', he will do battle with Daniel Dubois for the IBF crown on September 21, while 'The Gypsy King' will have the chance to win the WBA, WBC and WBO titles from Oleksandr Usyk if he can avenge his defeat to the Ukrainian in their re-match on December 21.
Now, Saudi official Alalshikh has admitted that he is hoping that Joshua and Fury can prevail in their next bouts as he eyes a potentially era-defining world unified heavyweight championship fight. Speaking to TalkSport, he said: "For the business, of course, it will be a huge fight if Joshua wins.
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"His third time [winning] a world title and [after] the result of Usyk vs Fury it will be a huge fight," he continued, as he talked up the prospect. "But you don't know about the future. Imagine Tyson after the fight with Usyk wants to retire. I will give him the offer, but if he refuses, what can I do?
"First of all, Dubois has a very big chance and it is not easy. I think it is a difficult fight for Joshua and a dangerous fight for Joshua. If Usyk wins, still I want to see Fury vs Joshua if they accept. I will not try to do the third fight [between Usyk and Joshua] before having Fury vs Joshua."
As for Joshua's chances versus Dubois, he predicted: "I think Joshua will win [against Dubois] but you don't know. I picked Deontay Wilder against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and he lost. This is boxing, especially the heavyweights. But I want to see Fury vs Joshua and the world wants to see Fury vs Joshua."
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Meanwhile, Matchroom figure Barry Hearn told Sky Sports that there is a desire within the 'AJ' camp to see a fight with Fury come to fruition. He said: "Joshua against Tyson Fury in early 2025 is the fight that we have a responsibility to deliver and we don't walk away from our responsibilities. Yes, I think it's all of our duty, those involved. We have to keep delivering the very best product.
"We need to do that fight. I think personally that Usyk beats Fury in the rematch. It's easier to make if Fury beats Usyk, because then if Joshua has beaten [Daniel] Dubois then you've got the unification fight because Joshua will hold the IBF belt."
