Tony Bellew believes a Wembley showdown involving Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will definitely happen at some point before the Gypsy King hangs up his gloves.
Fury is yet to confirm his next move after losing on points to Oleksandr Usyk in their highly-anticipated rematch. The man from Morecambe was unable to gain revenge following his previous defeat in their original fight back in May.
In the days since the rematch, it has been suggested that Fury could decide to walk away from boxing. He briefly retired in 2022 but many are now wondering whether he could hang up the gloves for good in the wake of back-to-back losses.
Speaking to Express Sport before the fight, Bellew admitted that he would be surprised if Fury retires without ever facing Joshua.
“I don’t think that ship will ever sail,” he said. “You’re telling me you couldn’t stick 100,000 in Wembley to watch those two fight? I think you’d get 50,000 just at the press conference. It’s coming, it is on. It’s on the charts and it’s on the board.
“Everyone wants to see it. The sad part is that it will be when both are just slightly past their sell-by date, by the looks of it. It looks like it’s going to be [Floyd] Mayweather and [Manny] Pacquiao all over again. It’s been held back and held back.
“You have to remember, the only person who has signed up to these fights and hasn’t pulled out is Anthony Joshua. He signed to fight Fury, he signed to fight [Deontay] Wilder, he’s fought Usyk twice, he’s fought [Wladimir] Klitschko.
“All these people, he signed to fight and they pulled out on him. He signed to fight Tyson Fury and Fury had to pull out because of the arbitration from Wilder. He signed to fight Wilder and Wilder pulled out because of the mess he was in with Fury.
“It is what it is. It’s a mess, really, but 100 per cent that fight will happen one day. It’s huge. It’s a massive blockbuster event and it will probably go down as the biggest domestic boxing match ever.”
A long-awaited showdown between Fury and Joshua has been discussed for many years without ever coming to fruition. A deal to host the fight in Saudi Arabia was close to being agreed in 2021, but talks ultimately fell through.
Only time will tell if Bellew’s prediction comes true despite both fighters coming off the back of defeats and holding no belts between them.
Bellew was speaking to Express Sport as an ambassador for the Men on a Mission campaign, in conjunction with DRINKiQ and Men’s Sheds, raising awareness for mental health and unhealthy drinking patterns in men aged over 50.
“We know the stats tell us that one in four men aged between 50 and 75 hardly ever think about their mental wellbeing and mental health,” he explained.
“You don’t really speak about it. It’s like a taboo subject. They don’t really want to speak about it, they don’t feel the need to. They actually think it’s weak. Those are the guys who are turning to drink.
“Before you know it, it catches up with you and it piles on and something has to be done about that. We need to be out there speaking to men of this age and letting them know there are other things to do because it’s so, so difficult.”