Turki Al-Sheikh eyes Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder after Tyson Fury retires
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Fury claimed this week that he has retired from boxing – not for the first time. Anthony Joshua could be set for a long-awaited fight this year, even if it is not against Tyson Fury. On Monday (13 January), Fury announced his retirement from boxing, having gone back on that decision several times in the past.
![[Anthony Joshua (left) and Deontay Wilder ahead of their shared fight card in December 2023]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/11/15/23/newFile-2.jpg)
While many figures in boxing do not believe that Fury will end his career now, on the back of two losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Turki Al-Sheikh is preparing for life after the “Gypsy King”. “If Tyson is not available, why not Joshua and Wilder?”. Joshua, 35, has long been linked to Wilder, 39, with the pair coming extremely close to fighting in recent times.
In December 2023, the heavyweights shared a fight card in Saudi Arabia, as Joshua stopped Otto Wallin and Wilder was outpointed by Joseph Parker. If “AJ” and the American had won, they would have faced each other in 2024. Instead, Joshua went on to knock out former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, while Wilder was stopped by Zhilei Zhang in his next bout.
Joshua was also on the wrong end of a KO in 2024, however, as Daniel Dubois retained the IBF title against his fellow Briton in September. That defeat, coupled with Fury’s second loss to Usyk in December, seemed to line up Joshua and Fury for a long-overdue clash. But Fury, 36, has seemingly scuppered those plans by retiring.
