For almost a decade, one of the heavyweight fights that boxing fans have most wanted to see is Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. Even though the relevant parties who could put the fight together have been in negotiations many times over the years, for many reasons ranging from boxing politics to momentary retirements, the fight is yet to take place.

Days after Fury’s most recent fight against Oleksandr Usyk, boxing financier Turki Alalshikh made it clear it was his intention to book the huge all-British heavyweight showdown between ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘AJ,’ potentially as early as the summer.

However, weeks after Fury’s second loss to Usyk, he announced his retirement from the sport which once again poured cold water on the fight. In recent weeks, though, Fury has been teasing another boxing comeback on social media, which would likely see him finally face Joshua, but, regardless, the fight has suffered yet another setback before it could even be discussed behind-the-scenes.

Anthony Joshua to Undergo Elbow Surgery

Joshua’s surgery will likely mean his fight against Tyson Fury will be pushed back even further

In recent weeks, there has been new hope given to boxing fans regarding a potential fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, however, that hope has now dwindled yet again as it has been revealed that ‘AJ’ will soon have to undergo surgery on his elbow, which could potentially keep him out of the gym for “six to eight weeks.” It pushes the fight even further into the latter part of the year, if at all.

‘AJ’ said the following to DAZN:

Tyson Fury has teased a fight against long-time British rival Anthony Joshua just months after quitting boxing.

Fury, 36, announced his retirement after losing consecutive bouts against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Although competitive in both, he said he was hanging up his gloves in the aftermath of a unanimous points decision loss to the Ukrainian in Riyadh last December.

However, in the past few weeks Fury sparked talk of a comeback with a series of social media posts showing him back in training.

That went up a level on Monday after he posted a video of him reuniting with his trainer SugarHill Steward and declaring: “You know what’s coming.”

Few observers believed Fury when he said he was retiring. The Morecambe heavyweight (34-2-1) has walked away from boxing numerous times over the years only to return to the sport.

And, in an era of big money heavyweight bouts, the lure of what would likely be a career-high payday to take on Joshua is surely too strong to resist.

Fury has worked with Steward since ditching Ben Davison in 2019, with the partnership helping propel him back to the top of the division.

“Just in the gym. Happened to bump into somebody you might know,” Fury said, turning the camera to Steward, who replied: “You know what time it is,” before Fury added: “You know what’s coming.”

It is also no coincidence that Fury’s attention-seeking post arrived in the middle of press activity for July’s upcoming rematch between Usyk and Daniel Dubois. With the eyes of the media on heavyweight boxing, there was no better time for him to tease a ring return.

A showdown between Fury and Joshua has always been the endgame for both men, especially now with their career prospects terminally damaged but their celebrity still burning brightly.

Twice beaten by Usyk and toying with retirement, it’s the only fight that could bring Fury back, while the same goes for Joshua (28-4), who at this stage is unlikely to launch another rebuild following his devastating September 2024 defeat to Dubois.

Despite their setbacks, a bout between the two most famous heavyweights of this era remains one of the biggest commercial opportunities in boxing.

It is said to be on a short wish list drawn up by Netflix, with the streaming giants keen to explore live combat sports options following the success of the Mike Tyson v Jake Paul exhibition bout which drew a staggering 60 million households worldwide last November.

Netflix has already confirmed it will screen the third instalment of Katie Taylor’s rivalry with Amanda Serrano in July, while there have been strong rumours of them making a play for the planned September showdown between ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford, as well as a Joshua-Fury bout should it ever materialise.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn welcomed Netflix’s interest in boxing but said a deal would need to be struck with Dazn if they wanted to broadcast one of his fights.

“AJ is exclusive to Dazn,” Hearn told the Stomping Ground YouTube channel. “That would be a decision for Dazn, if there was a relationship with Netflix, I don’t know…

“Netflix in boxing is amazing. [Jake Paul’s promotional company] MVP has done a brilliant job with that. Taylor v Serrano is going to be huge, as was the last one on the undercard of Tyson-Paul, so I guess [Netflix] are looking for those big moments, and there is nothing bigger than AJ v Fury, but right now we know that is not an option.”

Surly Dubois has warning for Usyk

Britain’s Dubois again showed his newly discovered mean streak when he met up with old foe Usyk this week.

On Sunday it was announced that the two will fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 19.

Usyk (23-0), holds the WBC, WBA and WBO belts and is seeking to become a four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time, while Britain’s Dubois (22-2) is the IBF holder.

Usyk has faced Dubois before, earning a controversial ninth-round knockout win in Wroclaw, Poland, in August 2023 after being given time to recover from what the referee ruled to have been a low blow.

Back then Dubois could cut a timid figure and he was accused of quitting in defeat to Joe Joyce and against Usyk when, fatigued and exasperated, he stayed down after being dropped by a jab.

According to Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua can arrange a fight with Tyson Fury.

According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua only need to send one clear message to set up their eagerly awaited bout.

In nearly a hundred years that heavyweight boxing has been around, no fight has haunted fans’ dreams more than Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury. AJ’s thunderous fists against Fury’s slippery brilliance have made boxing fans (especially British boxing fans) salivate over the idea of this fight for years. Yet, it never came to fruition. In 2021, the stars seemed aligned for an undisputed clash as Joshua had WBA, IBF and WBO titles. On the other hand, Fury was the WBC heavyweight champion. A two-fight deal was signed for August 14 in Saudi Arabia and every dream was coming true. Alas, at the last moment, The Gypsy King decided to take on Deontay Wilder again after the latter activated the rematch clause and AJ subsequently took on Oleksandr Usyk and the rest is heavyweight history.

Despite many talks and rumors in the following years, we never came that close to it again. Fast forward to 2024, Fury’s unexpected retirement announcement put brakes on the fight for good and fans’ dreams faded again. However, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn have once again re-ignited the hopes of the fans.

Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua is still possible

Warren and Hearn were at loggerheads for a long time. That changed last year when the Saudis stepped in as Matchroom and Queensberry struck a deal with DAZN, ending their long-standing feud. As Queensberry’s new DAZN deal kicked off on April 1, Hearn and Warren sat down for a Q&A round together and answered candidly. As the Q&A moved forward, the question, “Which fight between a Matchroom/Queensberry fighter have you wanted to make but not been able to?” immediately brought a smile to both of their faces.

Hearn replied immediately, ” I mean… the obvious one, AJ-Fury. Who knows what the future holds?” leaving the door open for potential talks. Warren, who also has been longing for this fight for years now, echoed the same thought. He stated, “Same answer. I mean that’s the fight we all wanted to see. Us, the British fans. The fighters wanted it.” However, “For some reasons, it didn’t happen,” he said regrettably.

Just like the Matchroom head honcho, Warren also re-ignited fans’ hope, claiming that if Tyson Fury ever comes out of retirement, the fight is there to make. “But it’s never too late. Who knows if Tyson decides he’s fed up mowing the lawn, it may happen,” Warren shared.

While both the promoters have expressed their desire to make this blockbuster fight, Anthony Joshua has different ideas at the moment.

Jake Paul is a far bigger fight

After his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September at Wembley, Anthony Joshua was ready to take on Tyson Fury. But Fury’s retirement left him stuck, unsure of his next move. Amidst the confusion, Jake Paul, who also got robbed from a blockbuster fight when Canelo Alvarez signed a four-fight deal with Saudis, decided to step forward.

In a recent episode of BS w/ Jake Paul, ‘The Problem Child’ threw down a challenge for AJ, stating, “I want to fight Anthony Joshua because I know I will f***ing beat Anthony Joshua’s a**.” It would have been one of Paul’s usual call-outs with no pay-offs. However, things changed when rumors suggested that Anthony Joshua had called on El Gallo following the call-out.

Talking to The Sun, MVP co-owner, Nakisa Bidarian confirmed talks between Paul and AJ camp and declared this as a far bigger fight than Fury-AJ. “Ultimately Jake versus Joshua is three, four or five times bigger than Joshua versus Fury, easily. Not in the UK, the UK I think they’re similar. But on a global basis, it’s not even in the realm of the same conversation in terms of magnitude, scale, reach, interest, viewership, it would just blow it away,” he stated.

Bidarian added that even though Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury can attract hardcore boxing fans, their popularity in mainstream culture is doubtful. That is where Jake Paul will play a massive role. Bidarian refused to reveal what the camps have discussed so far but assured the fans that there is something brewing for 2026.

Tony Bellew Makes KO Prediction For Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury: “He’s Not The Better Boxer”

There is still a hope that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury can finally come to blows in the ring and Tony Bellew has now shared his view on what will happen.

This is one of the biggest fights that could be made in world boxing. The major hurdle to it right now is that Fury is retired, and has been since early January. His announcement came as something of a surprise just weeks after he took his second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.

Both contests were close and went the full 12 rounds, but both saw Fury lose on the cards, having initially come up short in their first fight for undisputed honours back in May 2024.

Joshua also twice lost to Usyk but rebuilt well with four straight wins, however he is also coming off a loss. He failed in his attempt to become the IBF world champion when he fell at the fists of Daniel Dubois in their world title fight in September last year.

Speaking to FightLens, former world cruiserweight champion Bellew was asked to predict what would happen if the two Brits did square off.

“I’ve always said it and I’ll stick by it, I just think Anthony Joshua will be forced to let his hands go and he’ll knock out Tyson Fury. Do I think he’s the better fighter? No, but not always the better fighter wins.”

Many hope that Fury’s retirement move is simply a tactic to strengthen his hand for negotiations with Joshua, but as of now he remains retired.

Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has dealt a significant blow to Anthony Joshua’s hopes of a blockbuster showdown after admitting he “can’t be f***ed” with boxing, casting further doubt on his potential return to the ring despite recent rankings speculation.

The 36-year-old “Gypsy King,” who announced his retirement in January following his second consecutive defeat to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, appears content with life away from the sport according to his cousin and trainer Andy Lee.

“(It’s) just the odd message here and there and he seems very happy. (He said), ‘Andy I’m not f****d.’ That’s what he said. ‘I couldn’t be f****d with it.’

“He’s very happy. As bad as it sounds, it depends what the figure is for Tyson. It has to motivate him to come out of retirement. He seems very happy,” Lee told iFL TV.