British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will “fight at least once”, according to Top Rank president Todd DuBoef.
The pair had a bout booked in for earlier this year but it didn’t go ahead after a court ruled Fury had to fulfill his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. Fury retained his WBC belt after beating the American but Joshua’s record didn’t continue in the same way.
He took on Oleksandr Usyk in September and lost. Duboef says Joshua needs to get back to winning ways for the future of boxing.
“I think Fury and Joshua will fight at least once, because the people want it,” he told Sky Sports. “If Joshua and Usyk do the rematch and Usyk looks sensational again, then maybe the public will say, ‘We want Fury vs Usyk’.
“Joshua says he had an off-night. He has to establish his dominance, like he did against Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua has to take his career to that elevated state again by erasing his off-night. That is important.
“He is a great ambassador for the sport and a great champion. The more successful he and Fury are, the more successful boxing is.”
Joshua is set to rematch Usyk in the spring with Fury due to fight Dillian Whyte in early 2022. There had been some suggestions Joshua could step aside and let Fury and Usyk bout in a unification fight but they have now been dismissed by the British star’s management.
David KD Ghansa of Joshua’s management team told Talksport: “The day that we actually slightly put it to him, we got shut down – it was a complete shutdown...
“As a management team, we are exploring all the best options and we will put them to him. Ultimately it will be his decision, but he has not entertained it the way it is out there as being entertained.
“So personally from him, I don’t even think we finished that conversation on it, so Usyk.”
