anthony joshua is back at the center of boxing’s biggest unfinished business, as talk grows that a long-awaited meeting with Tyson Fury could happen this year. The timing is still conditional, but the mood around the fight has shifted from distant possibility to something far more immediate.
What is driving the renewed talk around Anthony Joshua?
The latest push comes from Spencer Brown, Fury’s manager and the promoter of Fury’s comeback bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. Brown said Fury will fight Anthony Joshua this year and described the matchup as “the World Cup final of boxing. ”
Brown’s message was direct: if Joshua takes a warm-up fight, the planned meeting would move back by about two months, but still remain on track for this year. He said the sport is in “a very special place” and argued that the moment has arrived to make the fight happen.
The language matters because this is not being framed as a routine heavyweight contest. It is being presented as a public event with wide appeal, one that Brown believes boxing has been waiting on for a long time. Fury and Joshua have come close before, yet the fight has never been made.
Why does the timing matter now?
The timing is fragile because Fury still has to win his comeback fight against Makhmudov. Joshua’s position also remains uncertain. He has only just returned to training after being injured in a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Brown said he does not think Joshua necessarily has to go straight into the Fury fight after what he has been through. He suggested Joshua has two choices: take a warm-up bout and then move toward camp, or decide he is ready now and go after Fury directly. Brown added that Fury’s attitude is simple: whenever Joshua is ready, Fury is there.
That leaves the fight hanging on decisions that are personal as much as sporting. Joshua has already fought Jake Paul in a December bout, and Brown pointed to that as a warm-up of sorts for Joshua, while describing Fury’s own comeback opponent as “a potential banana skin. ”
Could Dublin and Croke Park become the stage?
Talk around the fight has also turned toward Dublin, where Croke Park has emerged as a possible venue for September. The event is being explored for the 80, 000-seat stadium, but only if Fury wins on Saturday and Joshua does not take a summer warm-up.
Peter McKenna, chief executive of Croke Park, said a Fury-Joshua fight in Dublin could open the door for Katie Taylor to finally fight at the stadium. He called the possible event a “world-billing” occasion and said it could help create space for Taylor on the same card. McKenna said several approvals would still need to align, including agreement from Taylor’s manager, Taylor’s promoter and Fury’s promoter.
The Dublin plan is also tied to backing from Saudi Arabia-owned production company Sela and promoter Turki Alalshikh, co-founder of Zuffa Boxing. If Joshua takes a warm-up bout, the target would shift to the end of the year, potentially in the UK.
What does this mean for the people around the fight?
The human side of the story is visible in the waiting. Joshua is not simply deciding on a date; he is returning to training after a serious car accident and the loss of two close friends. Brown’s remarks suggest that the sport may need to make room for that reality rather than force a rigid timeline.
At the same time, the larger boxing picture is hard to ignore. A Fury-Joshua fight has been discussed for years, and the repeated breakdowns have often come down to purse demands and broadcaster disputes. Brown’s latest comments, and the Dublin discussion surrounding Croke Park, suggest that the sport is once again trying to close a gap between expectation and action.
For now, the main question remains whether the pieces move quickly enough. Fury has to get through Makhmudov, Joshua has to decide whether he wants a warm-up or the direct route, and the organizers have to align. Until then, the stadiums, the promoters and the fighters all remain in the same waiting room.
If the fight does come together, anthony joshua will not just be one name on a poster. He will be part of a night that boxing has been promising itself for years, with Croke Park, Dublin and a possible final reveal still waiting in the wings.
