ANTHONY JOSHUA could fight Tyson Fury in London next year as part of a mouthwatering double-header, reports say.
The pair were close to confirming a historic heavyweight undisputed title decider for August 14 in Saudi Arabia.
But Fury’s attempt to walk away from a contracted trilogy bout failed and meant the all-English unification was scrapped.
Instead, Joshua, 31, faces mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk, 34, on Saturday at Tottenham’s stadium in the capital.
Meanwhile, Fury, 33, will put the WBC belt he won from Wilder, 35, on the line against the American on October 9 in Las Vegas.
Should both British superstars prevail, there is hope of revisiting the first-ever, four-belt heavyweight title fight.
And according to the Evening Standard, London is the ‘frontrunner’ to host one part of a potential two-bout deal with the other heading to the Middle East.
A stadium fight in the summer would pave the way for Wembley or Spurs to host but Cardiff’s Principality would be the only winter option, as it has a roof.
Heading to Saudi would likely mean doing so towards the end of the year, like was the case when AJ beat Andy Ruiz Jr, 32, in their December 2019 rematch.
Summer in Saudi can reach temperatures of 38 degrees, meaning an indoors arena would need to be built.
But when Joshua beat Ruiz – the man who initially upset him six months prior – it cooled down to around 17 degrees.
AJ talked up the potential of finally fighting Fury next year, and admitted he would love nothing more than a home fixture.
He told the Daily Mail: “Me and Fury is streets, two warriors, two fighters who have come from the amateur system in the UK, and have taken the world by storm.
“We’ll get it on in Britain. Don’t worry about age, boxing politics, don’t worry about the American dollar.
“This is a British UK fight which can happen at Wembley, Tottenham, the O2, York Hall.
“I look at it less as a mega-fight for the world and more from the point of view that we are guys who first met in Finchley ABC. It is a grassroots fight.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
