Barely a day can go by without a story discussing a dream fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

As far as Fury is concerned, though, it’s far from the first though on his mind.

The unbeaten two-time and reigning lineal heavyweight champion from Manchester, England remains focused on his awaiting third fight with former titlist Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41KOs). The longtime heavyweight rivals are due to collide later this year, with a confirmed fight date pending the reemergence of mass gatherings amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

While media obsession constantly calls for an all-British showdown with Watford, England’s Joshua (23-1, 21KOs), the target for the current true heavyweight king remains squarely on Wilder.

“I’m always dedicated to the fight I’m about to fight, not someone I’m gonna fight in the future,” Fury (30-0-1, 21KOs) insisted during a recent ESPN interview on the subject of multiple opponents being discussed at one time. “I won’t take Deontay Wilder lightly because I know what he holds in both hands and the damage he can do if given the opportunity.

“So I’m gonna train really hard for Deontay Wilder. I’m gonna put on a great performance. Then we can put Wilder out of the way and move on to Joshua.”

Fury reclaimed his place atop the heavyweight division following a 7th round knockout of Wilder this past February atop a joint Pay-Per-View venture between ESPN and Fox Sports, live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their bout came nearly 15 months after having fought to a disputed 12-round draw in their December 2018 Showtime PPV headliner in Los Angeles.

Plans for a July 18 showdown came about shortly after Wilder—a 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama—exercised a bilateral clause in the contract for their second fight. That date was scrapped, however, when the current global health crisis also disallowed any events to take place in front of large crowds. It has also affected efforts to reschedule the fight for October 3, with a tentative date of December 19 now in place but hardly solidified nor accompanied by a confirmed location.

Meanwhile, Fury’s latest championship feat helped establish a scenario never before witnessed in the history of British boxing. His win over Wilder came nearly three months after Joshua reclaimed the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles in a 12-round decision over Andy Ruiz in their rematch last December, six months after suffering a shocking 7th round stoppage loss at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Between the two victories marked the first time in the four-belt era (five, for those who include the IBO among the lot) where all of the major heavyweight hardware has resided in the United Kingdom and specifically in England. That distinction—coupled with ramped up talks of an all-UK heavyweight superfight—already has fans and many industry insiders looking forward to summer 2021.

The only thing for which Fury remains on the lookout is a rescheduled date for his third fight with Wilder. 

“I’ve been in the situation before. It didn’t happen the last time I was in this situation,” notes Fury of past attempts to get Joshua in the ring. “I’m not going to concentrate on that fight at all. I’m only concentrating on the Bronze Bomber. That’s the fight I got next.

“We don’t have any date or a venue set so I can’t overlook him when I can’t even see through this year.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox