Matt Christie: It would be easy to swerve the harder part of the question by simply saying, no, I don’t think they will fight. And though it’s understood that all parties are working hard to ensure it does, it appears that both are now planning another fight in the interim and, at this stage of their careers, a tune-up for either could go horribly wrong. But let’s hope/presume/guess that they both emerge unscathed. And if we use the same logic to hope/presume/guess that both look good while doing so, I’d pick Fury to stop Joshua in the second half of a 12-rounder.
Ryan Songalia: My instinct is to say no, because the fight has been talked about, planned and then not come to fruition so many times over. You would imagine that this would be an easy fight to make, given that they’re both on the back ends of their careers and there remains a ton of money to make, but given how lucrative their careers apart have been, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re in no rush for such a high-stakes fight – at least from the perspective of public perception.
Eric Raskin: All indications are that both sides want it to happen toward the end of the year, but given the history of near-misses between these two, I’d still say it’s only about 60/40 to get finalized. But that means I’m leaning “yes” on it happening in 2026. As for who wins, I did my best to talk myself into the style match-up favoring Joshua after Fury’s middling performance against Arslanbek Makhmudov, but, ultimately, I can’t quite get there. Fury is too clever in the ring, too versatile, too natural, and I pick him to win a competitive but clear unanimous decision over an often frustrated “AJ”.
Tris Dixon: It sounds like it is closer than ever. I’m not even sure what that means at this stage. And we all know it’s not the fight it should have been. I’ve no idea who wins if they fought now – I might have picked Fury by some distance a few years ago.
Jason Langendorf: “AJ” has fought Jake Paul. Fury had his novelty fight – and almost lost it – against Francis Ngannou. Even unified and undefeated heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will be fighting a kickboxer in May. The current generation of aging-out heavyweights has already entered the mode of seeking out low-risk, high-profile paydays. And although Fury-Joshua still carries an element of pointed danger – physical and reputational – for both fighters, I expect the “payday” piece of the equation to outweigh the risk in this case. At this point, it’s too lucrative a fight not to happen. Who wins? I’ll give the edge to Joshua, the fitter, slightly fresher late-30s fighter.
Tom Ivers: Every time this fight has been on the table I have delusionally believed that it is almost certainly going to be made. After all, why would the pair not want to fight each other? It’s never happened, and I believe that is mostly down to Tyson Fury. Now, however, it finally looks like Fury wants to get in the ring with Joshua – probably because of the astronomical money on offer – and I’m slightly optimistic it’s going to happen. After seeing Fury’s display against Arslanbek Makhmudov, and Joshua’s against Jake Paul, I am also quite confident Fury deals with Joshua pretty easily.
Declan Warrington: Yes. I’ve always believed it eventually would – those involved would be leaving far too much money on the table if they didn’t. The more relevant question has long surrounded when they would fight, and therefore how much they would have left. Ever since the final bell of Fury’s first fight with Deontay Wilder he has deserved to be the significant favourite over Joshua. It might yet transpire that they’ve both declined sufficiently that a fight between them has become considerably more competitive. But the uncertainty that follows Joshua enduring that car crash and another change in trainer means that Fury ought to remain the big favourite, particularly if before they’re matched he fights again.
Lucas Ketelle: At this point, Joshua and Fury have to fight. The July tune-up for Joshua sets the stage for a fight with Fury. At this point, neither has many better options, so it just seems inevitable. It is fairly obvious that if Fury is anywhere near in shape and capable, he will beat Joshua. There is just a big difference in talent, with Joshua having the power to make it interesting for a few rounds.
