Joshua v Fury must happen by end of 2025 – Hearn

The long-awaited heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury must “definitely” take place by the end of 2025 or it will never happen, says promoter Eddie Hearn.

A super-fight between two generational stars of British boxing has been mooted for several years but always stalled during negotiations.

Joshua, 34, challenges Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and Fury, 36, takes on Oleksandr Usyk – who holds the three other recognised world titles – in December’s rematch.

“I do think AJ-Fury will happen regardless of whether Fury wins or not, but the size of the fight depends on their next two results,” Hearn told BBC Sport.

In June, Joshua urged Fury to fight him while both boxers are still “fresh” but said he will not “sit around and wait” for his fellow British heavyweight.

Asked whether there is a deadline of next year, Matchroom’s Hearn replied: “Yes, definitely.”

With substantial investment into boxing from Saudi Arabia, there is new hope the bout will finally materialise.

“If AJ beats Dubois and Fury beats Usyk, you’ve got the biggest fight in the history of the sport ever. If one loses and the other wins, it’s still a monster fight,” Hearn added.