Anthony Joshua wants to bow out of boxing in style and finally face British rival Tyson Fury.

AJ’s career is moving towards a natural end after a devastating fifth round KO at the hands of Daniel Dubois, who gained the IBF heavyweight title last September.

Former WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight title holder, Joshua, once reigned over the division, having stopped the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin years ago.

READ: Usyk Summed Up Deontay Wilder’s Chances Of Ever Beating Anthony Joshua In Just 1 Word

He lost those to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and failed to regain them the following year in a rematch.

And despite a four-fight win streak after, culminating in victory over former UFC star Francis Ngannou, the Dubois loss has Joshua facing a harsh reality.

But he has no intention of going out of the fight game with a whimper and wants to finally get down to a battle of Britain with Fury, who has also seen title dreams ended by Usyk.

It’s long been on the wish list of fight fans and may well be coming a couple of years too late.

However, it remains a blockbuster in the eyes of many – and Joshua wants it to happen.

“It’s a fight I want to see because I am a fan of boxing. When I am in the gym, everyone is asking me [about this fight]. I ain’t got many years ahead of me. I want to leave the game with a bang and make an impact,” he said at the Ring Magazine awards.

“Everyone is asking me the same question. It’s up to me to deliver, that’s why I’m saying it has to happen this year.

“I think we can make this fight happen.”

And his promoter Eddie Hearn revealed just hours later that Wembley was a potential destination for the fight.

Asked by Sky Sports if he had a Wembley date available if Fury wanted to fight Joshua, Hearn said: “Yes. We’re looking to get back in the ring in May or June. If it ended up being July, it doesn’t really matter.

“I still think it rests on Tyson Fury. Until the water settles on the defeat and where he’s at mentally and what he wants to do, that’s where we’re really going to find out.

“Because when he looks at the options, what else is he going to do and who else is he going to fight?”.

“Everything I’ve seen on Anthony Joshua’s social media, particularly in the last hour, is very encouraging,” Hearn continued.

“He’s not one to call anyone out, but he’s clearly calling them out, and he’s calling out Tyson Fury. It’s the fight that he wants.

“Obviously, at the same time, Daniel Dubois [rematch]. I keep saying there are really two fights. Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury. The world heavyweight title is what he wants, but, of course, Fury is a fight that must land on the resume of Anthony Joshua. It must be delivered to the British public as well.

“I think the real key is Tyson Fury. He’s three weeks off a defeat. He’s probably still upset and probably still reflecting on that defeat. We’ll have to see if he wants to fight again. If he doesn’t want to fight again, what else can Fury do?”

And the fight could be helped into reality by Turki Alalshikh.

The Saudi boxing chief included the match when he named five fights he wants to see happen in 2025.

“I want to see Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn, I want to see of course Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua,” he said on Froch On Fighting.

“I want to see Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford, and I also want to see Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia the rematch.

“For Oleksandr Usyk he will wait for the card of February. He has said he wants to fight one or two fights more, and I would like to see the Dubois rematch.”

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fighting without a title on the line would not detract from the scale of the event, says Top Rank’s Todd DuBoef.

Fury and Joshua have a long-running rivalry but the two Britons are yet to box each other. Both have been heavyweight world champions previously, though failed to reclaim titles in 2024.

Oleksandr Usyk repeated his points victory over Fury in their December rematch, while Daniel Dubois knocked out Joshua in a September clash for the IBF championship.

READ: Boxing Insider: Why Anthony Joshua Targeting Tyson Fury in 2025 Is Not Good News

Nevertheless, 2025 could be the year when Fury and Joshua finally box, even without a world championship belt on the line.

Todd DuBoef, president of Top Rank which co-promotes Fury, told Sky Sports: “It’s still two great fighters in the ring. The end.

“I think the brands are so strong,” he continued. “In the UK, the country would stop for an hour to see what happens and I think that’s a wonderful thing.

“They’ve created an incredible fanbase and passion towards who they are. So I always think it lives there.”

But first, DuBoef says, both Fury and Joshua must choose, not just whether they want to box each other, but whether they want to box at all.

“That everyday hard training, that discipline,” he said. “They have to decide if that’s what they want to do.”

DuBoef explained: “I think they both have to decide if they want to fight, let alone each other. I’ve always said for years the two brands and the two fanbases for both of them are so big and so wonderfully connected to them, that fight is always there.

“And I still believe that fight is always there. They’re like peanut butter and jelly, Joshua and Fury, they go together.

“I think it’s always there but they have to dig deep and decide if they want it and not it but if they want to get in the ring. Do they want to go back to training?”

Joshua has signalled his interest in fighting his British rival. “2025, I am targeting Tyson Fury,” Joshua said on a trip to meet Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

Reflecting on the Dubois fight, he added: “Makes me hungry, makes me want to work harder. Time is of the essence, time is limited, so I just want to put in more work.

“When I look back, I believe I could have done more in 2024. I have another chance in 2025 to do more and I am going to make sure I take every opportunity that comes my way.

“I should have won but I didn’t and I am going to go again.

“My life is up and down so I have to get used to the turbulent times and keep riding the wave.

“I can’t stop now. I have to keep going until I reach my destination.”

Winning a major boxing match often opens new doors for a fighter, but in the case of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, the dynamic appears reversed.

The former unified heavyweight champion recently revealed his intent to pursue a showdown with the former WBC heavyweight champion. However, boxing insider Rick Glaser doesn’t seem too happy about it.

As you may know at this point, ‘The Gypsy King’ lost his rematch to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in December via a unanimous decision. This comes after Fury lost their initial fight back in May via majority decision. The same scenario unfolded for ‘AJ’ when he faced Oleksandr Usyk in back-to-back bouts in 2021 and 2022. Not to mention, Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois.

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Even with the losses, the excitement about a fight between the two Englishmen hasn’t died down, especially in the United Kingdom. The pair have been linked for a fight for years at this point, but nothing ever went past discussion for various reasons. However, with both of their records painted in red, it appears the fight is possible.

Earlier this week, Boxing Scene reported that while speaking in Lagos, Nigeria, where Joshua visited President Bola Tinubu, he said about a Tyson Fury fight, “We’ll see, let’s get in the ring. Only God knows, but for me, we’ll see in the future.” Later, while Joshua was speaking to the State House Correspondents, he revealed much more about his plans for 2025.

“Time is of the essence, time is limited,” Joshua said. “So, I just want to put in more work. In 2024, when I look back, I believe I could have done more and I have another chance in 2025 to do more. I’m going to make sure that I take every opportunity that comes my way. I’m going to go again.”

“Ups and downs, they happen. To some people, it is always up. My life is up and down, so I have got to get used to the turbulent times and keep riding the wave. I can’t stop now; I have to keep going until I reach my destination.” Regardless, in response to this revelation, Rick Glaser offered his candid perspective on the potential matchup.

“Anthony Joshua with no punch resistance left is targeting Tyson Fury,” Glaser wrote on X. “Can’t make this s**t up!!! Wembley Stadium sells out for what will be AJ’s last fight.” Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter Matchroom honcho feels there’s only one fight left of Tyson Fury.

Eddie Hearn has strongly advocated for a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, calling it the “biggest fight in the history of British boxing.” Despite both fighters coming off losses, Hearn insists the matchup would be a box office smash. He told DAZN, “The reality is there’s only one fight for Tyson Fury and that’s Anthony Joshua. Everyone will want to see it.”

Hearn also addressed Fury’s performance in the Usyk rematch, stating, “That wasn’t a Tyson Fury who looked finished… He didn’t look gun-shy or like his punch resistance was in question.” He believes Fury is still at his peak, just not good enough to beat Usyk. Hearn is pushing for the fight to take place at Wembley this year, with a potential return to Riyadh following that.

That said, it appears 2025 will be the year fans not only in the UK but all over the world will see two of the best heavyweights of this generation clash in the ring. However, it’s worth noting that nothing has been officially announced.