It looks like we might finally be getting the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fixture we have been looking forward to for years now. At least, this is what Barry Hearn, the head of Matchroom, has revealed to us. According to him, Fury, Dillian Whyte, and Otto Wallin are among the list of people Joshua could face in 2023 when he makes a comeback to boxing. 

Fury had offered Joshua a fight deal some months ago, but the contract could not be agreed on Joshua’s side, prompting Fury to seek an opponent in Derek Chisora instead, who he beat. But the chances that a fight might actually happen between Joshua and Fury in 2023 are still there, and with the right negotiations in place, the fight could become a reality. 

Speaking with Sky News, Hearn revealed that Joshua is at a point in his career where he cannot afford another loss, so he is being quite careful about picking his next opponent. He said: “He is at a crossroads in his career. He can’t afford another loss.

“We’re going to see a very interesting 2023 across the whole heavyweight division. Joe Joyce is up there, ‘The Juggernaut’ is a handful. Daniel Dubois is coming back.

“Obviously, Tyson Fury is the No 1 in the world. He’s going to take all the beating, but I think he is quite close to getting the Usyk fight signed off. That’s a hell of a good fight and a dangerous one.

“I think Usyk is the No 1 heavyweight in the world. Tyson will disagree with me. Let’s go and see.

“The fight we all want to see eventually is AJ against Fury. You’ll get stories, Tyson will say the fight is never going to happen, Joshua will say he’d rather fight Dillian White. Forget all of that.

“This fight has to happen, and I think it does happen at the tail-end of 2023, for all the marbles.”

This means we might get to see Joshua in a big fight towards the end of 2023, and when he is ready, he has a rich list of opponents to pick from. 

Leon Osamor