Former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson believes that two of Britain's biggest heavyweight stars, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, could retire by the end of 2025.
Fury and Joshua have been left at a crossroads in their careers after losing to Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois respectively.
When it comes to who either Fury and AJ could face next, facing an opponent who is perceived to be below world level will be met with widespread criticism. With the world title picture looking sewn up for the foreseeable future, now may be the time for the two domestic rivals to finally meet.
An all-British showdown between Fury and Joshua is one which fans have been craving for years, and while it could be coming a few years too late, Nelson claims that this is the only fight for both men.
"I think it’s the only fight for them both because these guys have both been at the top level of the heavyweight division," Nelson told Boxing News.
"Even though financially they are spot on, they are in the position they want to be, they don’t want to be in the position to get turned over by anyone less than each other now.
"For AJ and for Tyson, the biggest purse out there is for each other, the biggest risk is anybody else."
Nelson then explained his reasoning behind why he thinks Fury and Joshua could retire within the next 12 months.
"I expect them both to have retired by the end of this year.
"I expect that because they have reached the highest of the heights, you look at the position they are in away from boxing compared to everybody else, they are in a great position.
"You look at the best fight that is going to best out of them, and that’s each other, anything less and it devalues their stock."
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