Heavyweight Anthony Joshua says a fight with Tyson Fury “has to happen this year” as he looks to book his next bout.
A fight between the two British rivals has been spoken about for years, but has never come to fruition.
But with both men coming back from defeats in world title fights, Joshua confirmed Fury was the opponent he wanted to face next.
“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,” Joshua said.
“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.”
Joshua was speaking at the Ring Magazine awards in London, where Oleksandr Usyk was also in attendance.
While speaking about Fury, Joshua admitted no talks had yet taken place with Fury’s team about a potential fight.
Fury lost to unified world champion Usyk in December while Joshua was stopped by IBF title holder Daniel Dubois in his most recent outing in September.
Chris Eubank Jr was also in attendance alongside his own rival Conor Benn.
Benn and Eubank Jr have held lengthy talks about their fight ever since Benn’s anti-doping suspension was officially lifted in November.
The camps have disagreed about the purse split, but Eubank Jr says the bout remains on track to happen in 2025.
“That fight will happen,” Eubank Jr said.
“We’re in negotiations and they are going very well. We’re at the last few things we’ve got to smooth out and then the fight will get announced. So yeah, big things are happening very soon.”
