Anthony Joshua could still fight Tyson Fury in 2025 even if ‘The Gypsy King’ falls to another defeat to Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the year.
Joshua takes on Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night for the IBF heavyweight title – the belt Usyk was forced to vacate just a month after he was crowned undisputed world champion in May.
Usyk’s WBO, WBA and WBC belts will be on the line when he and Fury meet in their rematch on 21 December.
A showdown between Joshua and Fury meanwhile has long been in the making but has fallen through on several occasions over the years.
Even if Fury falls to avenge May’s stunning defeat to Usyk at the end of the year, the appetite for the ‘Battle of Britain’ remains huge with Matchroom CEO Frank Smith convinced the fight must take place next year or disappear forever.
But should he beat Dubois this weekend, the choice will be Joshua’s with revenge against Usyk also a tempting option, having twice lost to the Ukrainian.
‘The Fury fight has been spoken about for far too long but we are closer than ever to seeing that big fight,’ Smith told .
‘Anthony can’t be looking past Dubois but of course that fight still interests him. He has also spoken about Deontay Wilder as well so that is still an option for Anthony. We are finally at the point where we are going to see those fights.’
Asked if boxing is approaching ‘now or never’ territory for Joshua vs Fury, Smith continued: ‘100 per cent. This is the time and I am confident we will get there. If he comes through on Saturday, Joshua will be the man on top, the man everyone will be calling out. He will be the biggest fight out there for all of them.
‘The Fury fight isn’t just about belts. Sometimes it is about the history. It has gone on for years between those two. Joshua vs Fury is undoubtedly the biggest fight in boxing right now.
‘The Usyk trilogy is a massive fight as well but the Joshua vs Fury narrative has been going on for years. Fighters obviously don’t want to lose but it doesn’t define them and it doesn’t mean the fight won’t happen.
‘It will be up to ‘AJ’, he might turn around and say he wants to become undisputed and take on Usyk. There are going to be lots of interesting developments over the next few months but the one guarantee is we are getting the biggest fights.’
Joshua first faces a formidable challenge in newly-crowned IBF champion Dubois, who rose back to the summit of the division with explosive victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.
Smith admits the Londoner was not someone on Joshua’s radar a year ago and questions whether the 27-year-old can handle the pressure fighting on such a huge stage.
‘In all honestly, I don’t think a lot of people expected Dubois to beat Filip Hrgovic,’ Smith said. ‘He wasn’t the favourite. But he has built his way back up after the Joe Joyce loss and he has always taken the fights in front of him.
‘But I think it is going to be too early for Daniel Dubois. Anthony Joshua is now in the form of his life and is too experienced for him. When it comes, the moment on Saturday isn’t going to be something that fazes Anthony, he has been there at these major stadiums time and time again.
‘But Daniel hasn’t really been on this level. He hasn’t been the focal point, the headline act of this size and scale so I think that pressure could get to him. But this fight has come out of nowhere because he’s put in the work to get here.’
Like Joshua’s relationship with Matchroom, Dubois has been aligned with Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions for his entire professional career.
Matchroom did explore the possibility of signing Dubois when he was still a teenager but Smith praised the loyalty shown between their long-time rivals and their fighter, having build him into a heavyweight star.
Joshua vs Dubois undercard and running order
Daniel Dubois vs Anthony Joshua (IBF heavyweight title)
Tyler Denny vs Hamzah Sheeraz (European middleweight title)
Anthony Cacace vs Josh Warrington (IBO super-featherweight titles)
Ishmael Davis vs Josh Kelly (middleweight)
Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson (WBO interim light-heavyweight title)
Mark Chamberlain vs Josh Padley (lightweight)
‘There was talk of him in the early days but it never really came to anything,’ Smith said. ‘Daniel is someone who has always done the work in the ring and delivered, but at the same time Frank and Queensberry have done a tremendous job. He is not the biggest personality in the world but what they have delivered for him has been quite amazing.
‘They believed in him like we believed in Anthony in those early days. You invest in someone and get behind them and when someone shows you loyalty, you are going to do everything to get them in these positions.’