Oleksandr Usyk has stuck his neck on the line with a prediction for who would win in a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
It is the fight that many British fans want to see and with the prospect of a trilogy clash between Fury and the Ukrainian now evaporated, it looks more likely.
Usyk beat the Gypsy King 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards on Saturday night to claim his second win of the year over him and retain his WBC, WBO, and WBA heavyweight titles.
And he speaks from a place of authority having also dispatched Joshua twice, beating the Brit on points in 2021 and 2022.
A domestic dust-up has been mooted for the best part of a decade, ever since Fury first became champion when he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. But the stars have not aligned thus far with both Fury and AJ reaching the twilight of their careers.
Usyk was asked two questions by Boxing King Media: Who was a harder overall opponent, and who would be the favourite between the two if they thought.
Oleksandr Usyk has predicted the winner if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua faced each other
The Cat defeated Fury for the second time thus year on points on Saturday night in Riyadh
A fight between the Gypsy King and Anthony Joshua has long been in the works
The Cat said that Fury had been the more difficult opponent across 24 rounds, but believes AJ would win on on ‘maybe points’.
We could find out in 2025, with Wembley Stadium beckoning for what remains arguably the biggest commercial fight in world boxing.
Both men would be entering the bout off the back of defeats after Joshua was dominated by Daniel Dubois in September.
In his post-fight press conference, Fury was asked what the future holds.
‘You might see me fight again, you might not,’ he cryptically answered.
Fury could finally walk away once and for all. The two-time heavyweight king has climbed to the top of the mountain, beating the likes of Klitschko and Deontay Wilder along the way.
But according to a report in The Sun, the 36-year-old hasn’t reached the end of the road yet.
A source told the publication that after returning to the UK, Fury told close friends: ‘It’s not over.’
Fury did not give away much about his future after the fight, but a source told the Sun that he is not finished
Frank Warren called the prospect of a showdown between Fury and AJ a ‘mega fight’
Fury put up a brave effort but was outpointed for the second time in seven months
And speaking following Saturday’s showdown, promoter Frank Warren insisted that Fury vs Joshua is the fight to make if the Gypsy King elects to continue fighting.
He told The Sun: ‘It’s what people will want to watch.
‘The Fury/Joshua fight is a great fight and if it happens it will be a mega fight, it will be brilliant.
‘But it will only happen if Tyson wants to do it and that’s a big if. And if he doesn’t want to do it, then so be it.’
Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn agreed: ‘The reality is there’s only one fight for Tyson Fury and that’s Anthony Joshua.’
‘It’s the biggest fight probably in the history of British boxing, everyone will always want to see it.
‘For me, AJ against Fury is the one, it’s the one at Wembley, I’m going to be pushing His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] to make the fight.’
Fury and Joshua had been scheduled to clash in 2022, while the former was still the WBC heavyweight champion.
A fight with Joshua could convince Fury to fight on, though both are nearing the end of their careers
But Joshua is also coming off a loss after being beaten by Daniel Dubois in September
Negotiations had been ongoing for a bout in December of that year before collapsing, with Fury instead defending his title against Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Joshua’s last fight came in September when he was stopped in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois for the IBF title.
