Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn revealed today that the battle of Britain fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will come down to whether Turki Alalshikh can put the fight together between them.
Turki Holds the Only Real Leverage
Hearn mentions that Turki has never failed to deliver in the past in fights together, and he believes he can persuade the retired 37-year-old Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) to take the fight. Joshua has already agreed. So, it’s up to ‘The Gypsy King’ for him to accept the fight.
Fury Still Brooding Over the Usyk Defeats
He has taken a bitter tone since losing his second fight against Oleksandr Usyk on December 21, 2024, believing the judges gave him a raw deal for the second time. Instead of Fury just accepting that he wasn’t good enough and leaving it at that, he’s come across as disgruntled over the experience.
With that kind of attitude that Fury has, Turki has his work cut out for him. If the old ‘Gypsy King’ thinks he’s going to get cheated against Joshua, too, he may choose to stay retired rather than give the judges a chance to hand him his third consecutive loss. Really, it would be Fury’s fourth straight loss if one factors in his fight against Francis Ngannou on October 28, 2023.
Hearn Pressures Fury Through the Media
“Next year, we will fight in February, and then we will fight Tyson Fury if Turki Alalshikh delivers on his plans and strategies,” said Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn to talkSport Boxing about the long-awaited Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight.
As you can see, Hearn is eager for the Fury-Joshua ‘Battle of Britain’ fight to happen. He’s been pushing for that fight for ages, just like he was with the Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook clash many years ago.
“All I know is that he [Turki Alalshikh] is yet to fail in delivering a fight. If ‘AJ’ doesn’t fight Tyson Fury—Turki Alalshikh has failed to make the fight. It will be on him, and I don’t believe he will fail,” said Hearn.
As long as Fury doesn’t demand an astronomical number, Turki should be able to make the fight happen. If Tyson becomes too demanding with his asking price, Turki may reconsider and go in a different direction. ‘The Gypsy King’ isn’t in the best bargaining position right now, with him coming off three consecutive poor performances.
Fury’s Negotiation Power Has Evaporated
If he’s mentally still believing that he’s got the same popularity and standing in boxing as he did when he defeated Deontay Wilder for the first time in 2018, there’s a good chance he’ll price himself out in the negotiations for the Joshua fight.
“I believe you will see ‘AJ’ versus Tyson Fury in 2026, and it will be the biggest fight you have ever seen in British boxing,” said Hearn.
Fans Outside the UK Have Moved On Completely
Is it too late for Fury vs. Joshua to fight each other? Not for the British fans, but for elsewhere, yeah, way too late. Neither is viewed as world championship material by Americans, and it’s utterly forlorn for them to be trotted out for a fight at this stage.
For U.S fans, they believe Joshua and Fury should forget about it. If AJ wants to fight anyone, he should take on Moses Itauma or Fabio Wardley. Those fights would have more meaning.