Nigerian born British professional boxer, Anthony Joshua says his target in 2025 is to beat Tyson Fury and become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
Joshua spoke with State House Correspondents after a visit to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday in Lagos.
On his chances of beating Fury, he said: “We’ll see, let’s get in the ring. Only God knows, but for me, we’ll see in the future.”
The boxer said he was hungry for more success and would work harder to achieve his target.
With Oleksandr Usyk putting to bed any questions about his talent in 2024, having dispatched of Tyson Fury twice in one year, the Gypsy King’s promoter, Frank Warren, has come out to deny the rumours that the Brit may have broken any rules in his losing attempt.
Boxing in 2024 produced some of the most entertaining fights in recent times. From Artur Beterbiev’s victory over Dmitry Bivol, Daniel Dubois’ knockout victory over Anthony Joshua, to Usyk’s double over Fury, there were plenty of shocks throughout the year.
An outcome that was a surprise to some was a routine unanimous decision victory for Usyk, as the Ukrainian finished the year with a CV of wins that anyone would be proud of. Although it appeared the drama of this feud was over, Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has come out to deny the claims that the Gypsy King cheated by having his shorts up too high.
It was a rivalry that brought out the best in both fighters and had the respect of everyone involved, but Usyk proved to the world that he was the greatest heavyweight boxer on the planet in 2024. With Fury taking the first loss on the chin, his second loss didn’t sit as well. Believing he had done enough to win, his UD loss caught him off guard and left him with unknown plans for 2025.
In a year-round, global sport like boxing, there’s a near-guarantee that every year will produce several great fights. That was no different in 2024, with several viable contenders emerging in the Fight of the Year race.
Making 2024 even more interesting was the fact that these great fights took place across a variety of weight classes and for both men and women — and many with the biggest stakes in the sport on the line. Ultimately, two undisputed championship fights led the field when the year came to a close.
Our panel of CBS Sports experts sat down, debated and cast our votes for Fight of the Year. Let’s take a look at the results.
It speaks to the rivalry between these two generationally great fighters that their December rematch was also in contention for the top spot on this list. The first meeting between Usyk and Fury, which took place May 18, was to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
The top heavyweight in boxing, who currently holds three major championships, is looking to take an extended break heading into 2025 before even contemplating what comes next for him. Usyk fought twice in 2024 with a pair of wins over Tyson Fury that cemented him as champion and boxing’s best heavyweight but after spending 24 rounds in the ring with one of the best fighters of his generation, the Ukrainian fighter is ready for some much deserved time off.
“It’ll be a very long preparation,” Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas told Boxing Scene. “After another 12 rounds with Fury, he needs a good, long recovery.”
While there’s no clear cut No. 1 contender for Usyk’s titles, Daniel Dubois seems to be the leading candidate but he has his own fight booked against Joseph Parker in February.
Dubois suffered a ninth round knockout loss to Usyk when they met back in 2023 but the 27-year-old British born heavyweight called foul after a punch dropped Usyk to the canvas in the fifth round but the shot was considered a low blow.
The battle of Britain has eluded fans for many years and is now undoubtedly past its best before date, however it will still be a mega-fight that can fill a stadium.
Why it could happen now is because both men are out of the title picture and looking for big fights before retirement. Joshua lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk before going on a run of four wins to get a shot at Daniel Dubois’ IBF world title. He was knocked out in five. Fury has recently suffered the same fate against Usyk, failing to beat the Ukrainian over 24 rounds.
It is now widely agreed that the match-up is the best out there for both men. How it plays out is anybody’s guess, but there are some shared opponents who can provide good insight.
Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin took Fury the distance back in 2019, inflicting a near-fight ending cut on the Brit before losing on the scorecards. After a run of six victories, he faced Joshua but was stopped inside five rounds.
Oleksandr Usyk openly admitted to wearing a bootleg Rolex just days after successfully beating Tyson Fury in their second meeting.
While plenty of athletes like to show off their expensive clothing and jewelry, the fan-favorite heavyweight champion shamelessly boasted his fake timepiece in a street interview with United44.
After flashing the watch to the camera, Usyk quickly admitted to the inauthenticity of his accessory.
‘I was boasting a little and showed the cameraman my watch,’ he said, laughing. ‘It’s a Chinese Rolex.
‘I was in Turkey for training and saw guys selling Rolexes on the beach,’ Usyk continued. ‘I thought if I bought one, no one would guess that it was a fake. So I bought it for $100.’
As he pointed out, nobody questioned if the watch was fake considering the substantial amount the Ukrainian fighter has earned throughout his career.
Oleksandr Usyk openly admitted to wearing a bootleg Rolex just days after successfully beating Tyson Fury in their second meeting.
While plenty of athletes like to show off their expensive clothing and jewelry, the fan-favorite heavyweight champion shamelessly boasted his fake timepiece in a street interview with United44.
After flashing the watch to the camera, Usyk quickly admitted to the inauthenticity of his accessory.
‘I was boasting a little and showed the cameraman my watch,’ he said, laughing. ‘It’s a Chinese Rolex.
‘I was in Turkey for training and saw guys selling Rolexes on the beach,’ Usyk continued. ‘I thought if I bought one, no one would guess that it was a fake. So I bought it for $100.’
Tris Dixon: I don’t think either has anything left to prove, but the access to the Saudi riches they are able to attain will likely see neither walk away. Usyk made it clear, too, that he has no intention of hanging his gloves up. His legacy is solidified, and there’s no one he could beat at present that would add to it.
Kieran Mulvaney: Usyk seems in no hurry to quit, and nor should he, even though he has nothing to prove. Fury will have to make the mental adjustment to being a supporting actor, and I’m not sure he can do that very well. Equally, however, he has an apparent desperate desire to be in the limelight, and many around him have stressed how miserable Fury is when he isn’t boxing, so I expect Fury to continue, too. Besides, although I thought the scorecards were accurate and Usyk was a clear winner, Fury was competitive and he’d probably start as the favorite against any other heavyweight – even though I think there are signs of a decline.
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Lucas Ketelle: They both should, but they won’t. They are now more important and more viable than ever. They can make more money and be seen by more people than ever. They worked their whole lives to create this legacy, and now is the time when they reap the rewards. It felt as though both fighters had lost a step in the rematch, but Usyk is regarded as the best heavyweight since Lennox Lewis. Fury is a character who people are fascinated to see what he will do next.
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping believes Tyson Fury has nothing left to prove after his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk retained his WBC, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles when he defeated Fury by unanimous decision this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia. For Bisping, Usyk won in much more definitive fashion after winning his first meeting against Fury by split decision seven months ago.
“Usyk, of course, was the better boxer,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He was the more efficient boxer, he was landing more, missing less. Fury, of course, landed some good shots. He was ripping to the body with beautiful uppercuts, missed the uppercuts to the chin of Usyk just by millimeters. Some of those shots that Fury was throwing, if they had landed, he might have knocked him out in the final rounds. … There was certainly nothing bad about Tyson Fury.
Carl Frampton has said Tyson Fury looked ‘ridiculous’ after weighing in at 281lb for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, who beat the “Gypsy King” again on Saturday.
Seven months after outpointing Fury in Riyadh, Usyk produced the same result in the Saudi city, retaining the unified heavyweight titles.
In fact, the Ukrainian beat the Briton more easily this time, with 116-112 scorecards from all three judges, after earning a split decision in May.
Fury had promised an aggressive approach in the rematch, and his career-heaviest weight of 281lb seemed to back up that claim. Yet Fury, 36, was unable to effectively use his size to bully Usyk, 37, who weighed 55lb lighter than the former champion.