Ricky Hatton believes the ship might have sailed on an Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight.
The British heavyweights have been two of the biggest names in boxing for over a decade but have never crossed paths inside the ring, despite both men holding world titles at various times and a longstanding rivalry between the two.
However, rumors abound that Joshua vs. Fury could finally take place if both men are successful in their next fights — Joshua takes on IBF champion Daniel Dubois next month and Fury is set for a rematch against unified world champion Oleksandr Usyk towards the end of the year. Should they both prove victorious, a potential mega-fight between the two could be in the cards for 2025.
Even with the stars seemingly aligning for a long-awaited bout between Britain's most famous boxers, Hatton believes that things have to go right in the ring for both Joshua and Fury before they even think of stepping into the ring together.
"It depends on the next performances [in their upcoming fights]," Hatton told Action Network. "Tyson didn’t look great against Oleksandr Usyk [in their first fight]. Don’t get me wrong it was a good fight, I’m being a little bit unfair there because fighters like Usyk only come along every now and again, he’s exceptional.
"But he wasn’t great against Francis Ngannou [in 2023], I think he would agree with me on that one."
It's because of Fury's last two fights that former two-weight world champion Hatton fears that a potential showdown with Joshua could be in danger.
"We’re all starting to think has Tyson got too many miles on the clock now? It seems to be the case after the last couple of fights," Hatton said. "I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in this one [against Usyk].
"But I don’t see the [Joshua vs. Tyson] fight happening now, I think we’ve lost our chance and it was criminal it didn’t happen a few years ago when they were both in their prime."
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