Anthony Joshua’s fight with Deontay Wilder evaporated little more than an hour before he thought he was going to get it. But if AJ defeats Francis Ngannou next month, he could set himself on a path that leads once again towards a possible showdown with British heavyweight rival Tyson Fury

It has been much discussed. Talks have started up and failed multiple times. But still, could Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua actually happen?

The two are titans in British boxing with Fury the reigning WBC champion and Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champion, currently working his way back to the top.

Both have significant bouts coming up. On March 8 Joshua will box Francis Ngannou, the former UFC champion who gave Fury an expectedly difficult 10-round bout last year.

Then, on May 18, Fury meets Oleksandr Usyk, the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titlist, in their rescheduled undisputed championship fight.

Should the two British heavyweights prevail in their respective contests, a natural question will be whether they could finally fight each other in 2024.

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is advocating for precisely that. “If there’s a chance to jump in late summer or early autumn and make AJ vs Fury, it can be done and there’s ways to make it happen. I think there’s every chance that could happen,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

“[With] contracts, everyone’s got to be respected in that sense. But the pressure will be on to make that fight.”