Barry McGuigan Makes Emphatic KO Prediction For Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua: “He’ll Catch Him”

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, despite the latter’s retirement, could be heading towards an all-British heavyweight banger.

The two former champions have both lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk and, without a shot at a title on the horizon, are free from conflicts, mandatories and ego to make the long-awaited fight happen.

Hall of Fame fighter Barry McGuigan, writing for The Mirror, feels like most that the right time for the fight is now

“Joshua is enjoying a break after the loss to Daniel Dubois. The truth is this fight has never made more sense. Both have lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, and Joshua is processing that devastating defeat to Dubois.”

When it comes down to a prediction, McGuigan is firmly backing ‘AJ.’

“Joshua is more physically imposing, and the last thing you lose is your punch. Fury is not a devastating hitter. He uses his skills and physical attributes to wear down opponents.

“Joshua is the more dangerous, the harder puncher with the greater explosiveness, qualities you retain right to the end. Fury could outbox him for a couple of rounds, but he would reach Fury at some point.

“Fury has the longer reach by three inches, but when the other man is 6ft 6in with a reach of 82ins, it’s hardly significant. Styles make fights and I believe Fury is just right for Joshua. I would have favoured him at their peaks and I would now.

“Fury’s style suits Joshua. There is a lot to hit. Fury has quick hands but I think AJ walks him onto a right hand. And if he did that he would be right back in the picture.”

As of writing, Fury is standing by his retirement, though fans feel that he will still make a u-turn on that position in the coming months.

Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is sidelined after elbow surgery but has an eye on a few options when he returns to the ring this year.

Chief among those options is a highly anticipated all-British showdown with Tyson Fury. The two stars have been circling each other for years without a fight coming to fruition. After Fury’s back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship last year, it appeared that there was a window of opportunity to make the fight. However, that window was slammed shut by Fury, who abruptly announced his retirement in January. It appeared that Fury was teasing a return earlier this month, but he took to social media to state that he is happily retired.

“This is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King,” Fury said in a post on Instagram. “Not too shabby. I’m in no rush at all to come back boxing, and get my face punched in for what? What would I return for? I asked that question. So here we are. I’m retired and I’m staying retired. I’ve got nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for.”

With the uncertainty surrounding Fury’s return, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, addressed his fighter’s future once he returns.

“He’ll only fight once this year,” Hearn told ESPN. “He’ll be good to go in the middle of September, and by then, we will know for sure if Fury is going to return or not. But [Joshua’s opponent] will also depend on what happens in the [Daniel] Dubois vs. Usyk fight. I like our spot in that respect, and if none of them are available, we’re going to fight someone else.”

Hearn said that Joshua, 35, would like to avenge his stunning fifth-round knockout loss to Dubois last September if the opportunity presents itself. But if the Fury fight surfaces, that is what they will target first. Hearn isn’t sure Fury’s retirement will stick, regardless of what the former heavyweight champion says on social media.

“I just don’t think he’ll be able to leave it alone,” Hearn said. “You know why? Because he’s not declining. He’s still at the peak of his powers and it’s very difficult to walk away from a fight like Anthony Joshua when you’ve still got it. And that’s why I believe it’ll happen.”

Another option for Joshua is a showdown with former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, 39. A Joshua-Wilder fight was discussed several years ago when Joshua was the unified champion and Wilder held the WBC title. The two sides couldn’t come to financial terms for the fight and went their separate ways. The two sides were aligned for a potential fight again in 2023 but Wilder was stopped in consecutive fights against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

Should Wilder defeat journeyman Tyrrell Herndon in June, a Joshua-Wilder fight could be back on the table.

“If Wilder comes back and looks sensational, we’ll probably start talking about it again,” Hearn said. “I don’t rule it out at all. It’s always going to be an exciting fight, but certainly the focus is on Fury first and possibly Dubois if he can get through Usyk.”

Fury has stated that he is happily retired and there is no reason to return

Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has responded to Tyson Fury’s recent retirement announcement, expressing his belief that their long-anticipated fight will still take place.

Joshua, who recently confirmed his return to the ring in December 2025, has not fought since his defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024, where he sustained injuries.

For years, Joshua and Fury have been linked to a blockbuster showdown. After Fury lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, expectations grew that the Joshua-Fury fight could finally happen in 2025.

However, those hopes were dampened when Fury took to social media to announce his retirement, stating he is happily retired and sees no reason to return to boxing.

Amid swirling speculation and widespread rumors about a potential return to the ring, Tyson Fury decided to address the chatter head-on.

“I hear a lot of talk of the Gypsy King returning to boxing, and I ask the question: For what? More boxing belts? I’ve won 22 of them.

I’ve been beaten. That’s it, fair play to them. They’ve had their use of me, but I’m happy. I’m happy, content with what I’ve done, what I’ve achieved, what I’ve accomplished—been around the world and back again, and here we are.”

Despite Fury’s comments, Joshua remains optimistic. Sharing an image of Fury in the ring on social media, Joshua captioned it:

“One of these days it’ll be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually,” Joshua wrote.

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is not giving up on the long-anticipated all-British battle with Tyson Fury, despite Fury’s retirement from boxing.

Fury, 36, announced he was hanging up his gloves for the fifth time in January, just weeks after suffering his second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. However, Joshua isn’t convinced that “The Gypsy King” is finished with the sport for good, and he remains hopeful their long-delayed clash will finally happen.

Posting a photo of himself watching a Fury bout on his private Snapchat, Joshua wrote:
“One of these days, I’ll be standing in the opposite corner. Ready and fully charged spiritually.”

The two heavyweight titans have been on a collision course for over a decade, but have never met in the ring. A blockbuster two-fight deal was agreed in 2020, with bouts planned for 2021.

JAKARTA Tyson Fury has confirmed that he will not make a comeback into the ring amid various speculations that continue about his possible fight with Anthony Joshua (AJ).

The fighter nicknamed Kingmen decided to retire in January after he suffered defeat against Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight rematch in Saudi Arabia.

However, many hope he will return to the top ring for the match against AJ. That possibility exists because this isn’t the first time Fury has announced his retirement from the boxing world.

Fury has announced retirement several times and then comeback. However, in a recent post on Instagram he made sure he would still retire.

“Why am I back? I am retired and will still retire. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone and there’s nothing I need to get,” he said, quoted by Sky Sport.

Fury and Joshua have repeatedly been linked to one of the biggest fights in British boxing history. However, negotiations to make their fight always end up failing.

Suffering from successive defeats against Usyk then made Fury decide to end his boxing career. The two defeats made him miss the opportunity to become a heavyweight champion indisputable.

“I’m happy, satisfied with what I’ve accomplished and got. I’ve been around the world and come back again and there’s a retirement period for my King,” Fury said.

Fury recently hinted that he would return to boxing when he uploaded a video of himself on the gym with coach SugarHill Steward.

If this happens, Fury and Joshua’s duel will capture who the best heavyweight fighters in England are. The clash is one that many fans have always been waiting for.

Anthony Joshua is hopeful of one day sharing the ring with Tyson Fury despite ‘The Gypsy King’ insisting he will remain retired.

On Saturday, Fury told his 6.7million Instagram followers that he is ‘happy’ and ‘content’ with his decision to hang up his gloves.

Hours later, AJ took to Snapchat to upload a picture of himself watching Fury box, with the caption: “One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually.”

Fury called time on his career in January following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

However, a series of social media posts suggested he could be on the verge of a comeback.

Last week, he revealed he was attending a ‘business meeting’ with his father, John Fury.

And one month prior, he had uploaded a video of himself and long-time trainer SugarHill Steward in the gym together.

But Fury put an end to the speculation over the weekend while on holiday with his wife, Paris Fury.

“Good morning, people,” he said from a beautiful view of Lake Como in Italy.

“I hear a lot of talk about ‘The Gypsy King’ returning to boxing and I ask this question first of all: for what? “I’ve been around the world and back again, and here we are, this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.

“I’m in no rush at all to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question. So here we are, I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for. God bless you all, and see you on the other side.”

British boxing fans have been clamouring to see Fury and Joshua exchange leather for the best part of 9 years.

The pair have been in negotiations several times, but nothing has ever come to fruition.

The closest they came to sharing the ring together was four years ago when the Brits held all four major sanctioning body belts between them.

Both parties reached an agreement for a two-fight deal, with the first meeting set to take place in Saudi Arabia in August 2021.

However, a judge in a US court ruled that Deontay Wilder was entitled to a third fight with Fury, thus derailing their plans.

The pair could make close to £100million each for the Battle of Britain

ANTHONY JOSHUA is refusing to give up on a Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury – despite his rival’s doubling down on retirement.

Fury, 36, called time on his career for a FIFTH TIME in January just weeks after his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

The Wythenshawe warrior, unsurprisingly, performed a U-turn late last month but has since doubled down on his latest hanging up of the gloves.

But AJ isn’t buying what The Gypsy King is selling and is confident their long overdue domestic dust-up will come to fruition.

Along with a picture of himself watching a Fury fight, he wrote on his private Snapchat: “One of these days it’ll be standing in the opposite corner.

“Ready and fully charged spiritually.”

Fury and Joshua have been on a collision course for over a decade but have yet to share the ring.

They agreed a massive two-fight deal in 2020, with the contests set to take place the following year.

But the mammoth melees were scuppered when former long-time WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder won his arbitration for a trilogy fight with Fury.

AJ and Fury will bag one last huge payday and finally settle the long-raging debate over who is the better man if a post-prime punch-up comes to fruition.

But Morecambe millionaire Fury, who still believes he was robbed of becoming the undisputed king of the heavyweights, insists he has nothing left to prove.

He said: “I hear a lot of talk about the Gypsy King returning to boxing and I ask this question: for what?

“What would I return for

“More belts? I’ve won 22 of them.

“I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.

“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I have achieved and accomplished.

“I’ve been around the world and back again.

“And this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.”

He added: “I’m in no rush at all, to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question.

“I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for.”

Anthony Joshua is hopeful of one day sharing the ring with Tyson Fury despite ‘The Gypsy King’ insisting he will remain retired.

On Saturday, Fury told his 6.7million Instagram followers that he is ‘happy’ and ‘content’ with his decision to hang up his gloves.

Hours later, AJ took to Snapchat to upload a picture of himself watching Fury box, with the caption: “One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually.”

Fury called time on his career in January following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

However, a series of social media posts suggested he could be on the verge of a comeback.

Last week, he revealed he was attending a ‘business meeting’ with his father, John Fury.

And one month prior, he had uploaded a video of himself and long-time trainer SugarHill Steward in the gym together.

But Fury put an end to the speculation over the weekend while on holiday with his wife, Paris Fury.

“Good morning, people,” he said from a beautiful view of Lake Como in Italy.

“I hear a lot of talk about ‘The Gypsy King’ returning to boxing and I ask this question first of all: for what?

“What would I return for? More belts? I’ve won 22 of them. I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.

“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I’ve done, what I have achieved and what I have accomplished.

“I’ve been around the world and back again, and here we are, this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.

“I’m in no rush at all to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question. So here we are, I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for. God bless you all, and see you on the other side.”

British boxing fans have been clamouring to see Fury and Joshua exchange leather for the best part of 9 years.

The pair have been in negotiations several times, but nothing has ever come to fruition.

The closest they came to sharing the ring together was four years ago when the Brits held all four major sanctioning body belts between them.

Both parties reached an agreement for a two-fight deal, with the first meeting set to take place in Saudi Arabia in August 2021.

However, a judge in a US court ruled that Deontay Wilder was entitled to a third fight with Fury, thus derailing their plans.