Carl Froch reckons Tyson Fury would be interested in a £100million fight against British rival Anthony Joshua.

Fury announced his retirement from boxing in January just weeks after losing to Oleksandr Usyk for a second time. The 36-year-old previously declared his retirement before offering up a U-turn. However, this latest announcement follows Usyk’s victory over the ex-unified heavyweight champion in their highly anticipated rematch in December.

The Manchester-born fighter was defeated by unanimous decision months after failing to secure victory in their match for the undisputed championship of the heavyweight division in May. Fury’s announcement seemed to extinguish any possibility of a bout with Joshua, which could have – arguably – been the most significant event in British boxing history.

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But former super-middleweight champion and current boxing pundit Froch says ‘The Gypsy King’ might not stay retired for long if a potential big-money fight against Joshua comes about.

“I’m not sure [if he will stay retired] because he’s quite stubborn and when he digs his heels in, and similar to me, he’ll double down on it,” he said via Action Network.

Froch went on: “It’s like a lot of boxers. He has retired because deep down he knows he is probably past his best and lost two fights (to Oleksandr Usyk) and I know personally he is p*****. I spoke to somebody close to his team and he’s really frustrated and p***** off that he lost the rematch, but he did lose and lost fair and square.

“It was a close fight, but wasn’t very entertaining, not like the first one where there were moments of excitement, and not a lot happened. I think Usyk did enough to win.

“He shouldn’t have any complaints apart from the frustration that he didn’t go for it.

“I just think Tyson Fury had a bit more left in the tank and could’ve tried a little harder. He’s the bigger man and is heavier. Maybe Fury is feeling a little let down by himself, and it might bring him out of retirement one last time and the fight with Anthony Joshua is a big fight as much as I think that’s not as big of a fight as it could have been, and isn’t as exciting without a title.

“Anthony Joshua has been done a few times now and he’s past his best. Tyson Fury is 36, he’s overweight and he struggles to get fit, so there’s nothing at stake apart from a bragging rights fight. It’s too late now. I’m not excited, but I appreciate it’s a big fight for Britain and if he gets offered £100million then he will take the fight.”

Anthony Joshua is heading towards the end of what has been a hugely successful boxing career.

The Brit reinvigorated the heavyweight division and brought huge numbers of fans to the sport over the last 13 years since he won his gold medal at the Olympics in 2012.

After turning professional, power puncher ‘AJ’ quickly rose up through the ranks to become a world champion and then a unified belt holder. As well as good wins over the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte and Aleksandr Povetkin, there were setback losses on the way to Andy Ruiz and then back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk that left him belt-less.

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His attempt to regain world honours fell short back in September when he lost to Daniel Dubois by 5th round knockout. In the aftermath, many thought the one and only fight left to make was with former champion and fellow British boxing star Tyson Fury, who also twice lost to Usyk.

However, Fury’s retirement announcement in January rather ruined those plans.

Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that Joshua has moved on from the idea of fighting Fury for now and named the fight he wants.

“Daniel Dubois rematch.”

He then corrected himself and pointed out Joshua was more interested in becoming a three-time world champion than getting his revenge.

“Not even the Dubois rematch. The world heavyweight championship. I think Parker is going to be Dubois so maybe we fight Parker.”

All eyes then turn to February 22 when Dubois puts his IBF title on the line for a second time against former champ Parker. Though Hearn believes the New Zealander will upset the odds, former Parker opponent Derek Chisora backs Dubois.

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.”