Before Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Daniel Dubois on Saturday night, speculation swirled that a blockbuster bout with Tyson Fury was on the cards.
For years and years, rumours of Fury and Joshua fighting each other have persisted. They have come close to arranging bouts in the past, only for finances to get in the way.
These days, boxing is slightly different.
With His Exellency Turki Al-Sheikh calling the shots, big fights are being made. Had it not been for the Saudi advisor, gladiatorial heavyweight clashes may just have been consigned to the past.
Tyson Fury might be the biggest loser from Daniel Dubois’ brilliant win over Anthony Joshua
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He is masterminding these huge fights and none would be bigger than a blockbuster clash between Fury and Joshua.
The Sun reported on Saturday, before the bout, that a deal was on the brink of being struck. All that was needed was for AJ to beat Dubois – and Fury to avoid any serious harm in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 – for many fans’ dreams to become a reality.
Fast-forward to now, however, and it’s extremely difficult to justify such a showdown – epic though it would undoubtedly be.
Joshua had, prior to his clash with Dubois, been seen as a man on the rise once again.
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He was written off as a faded force following his two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, which took place in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
With four victories on the spin, however, Joshua was being portrayed as a new man.
But things have changed yet again. It is Dubois who is now the man ascending to the heights of the greats. It is Joshua who is now starting to seem like somebody who is past their prime.
Had he lost to Dubois via split decision, perhaps there would be a desire to make the fight with Fury happen.
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Yet it is the nature of his defeat that means hunger for the fight is waning.
Joshua was, as Carl Froch put it, ‘battered from pillar to post’. Barring a brief improvement in the fifth and final round, he was comprehensively outclassed by his younger opponent.
The sight of him wobbling, desperately attempting to summon the magic of old, was sad to see.
Regarding Fury, the Gypsy King’s own reputation took a hit earlier this year when he was outclassed by Usyk in Saudi Arabia back in May.
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Tyson Fury was ringside as Anthony Joshua crashed to defeat against Daniel Dubois
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He had claimed he would become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, even mocking Usyk by calling him ‘rabbit’.
But it was the Ukrainian who had the last laugh, with the 37-year-old producing a masterclass to inflict the first professional defeat of Fury’s remarkable career.
With Fury widely expected to lose his rematch to Usyk, nobody wants to see a bout between two losers.
That is harsh, but it is also the reality. Losing to Usyk for a second time would spark calls for Fury to retire, just like what Joshua is enduring now.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could potentially be a fight between two losers if the Gypsy King fails to beat Oleksandr Usyk again
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Fury had probably been banking on a big pay cheque when it comes to fighting Joshua.
Regardless of what Eddie Hearn says, however, he can forget about that for now.