Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua, for so long heavyweight boxing’s golden goose, should be the next step in both fighters’ careers, according to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn.

For years, the matchup between the two best British heavyweights of their generation has appeared close but has so far remained out of reach. Nowadays, though, the landscape is different, with both fighters coming off losses (Fury twice to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua to Daniel Dubois) — and while the stakes aren’t quite as high as when they were undefeated world champions, Hearn says that there remains a voracious appetite to hold the bout in 2025.

“The time it was going to happen, which was the time we signed for the fight, was when Tyson had his arbitration with Deontay Wilder for the rematch,” the Matchroom boss told Betfred. “We signed to fight Tyson Fury and I believe Tyson was going to fight Anthony Joshua, but through the court ruling, he had to fight Wilder. That was taken out of our hands.

“Timing’s everything and I still believe both fighters are close to the prime of their careers. I know Tyson got beat, but he got beat by Usyk in a close fight,” Hearn added. “There’s no shame in that and he’s still a great fighter. AJ’s still a brilliant heavyweight. So I think it’s a tremendous clash and right now, it’s very difficult to pick a winner in that fight, which is of course enthralling for boxing fans.”

But while the fight makes sense and would likely have the backing of boxing’s moneymen in Saudi Arabia, Hearn admits that the fight remains a long way away.

“It’s not something that we’ve talked through yet. We’re only a couple weeks on from Tyson Fury’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. If he does want to continue fighting, which I presume he does, then it’s an obvious fight to make. It’s the biggest fight in the sport still and you get people telling you that it isn’t, but tell me a bigger fight? There isn’t one.”