Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua 'will happen' because of Turki Alalshikh's big plans

Barry Hearn is confident that a blockbuster bout between and is on the horizon. The two British heavyweight titans, who have dominated the boxing scene with their impressive careers, have yet to clash in the ring.

The 'Gypsy King' has conquered the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and WBC titles, defeating renowned opponents such as Wladimir Klitschko, and Tom Schwarz. Joshua, on the other hand, has claimed every major heavyweight title except the WBC, with victories over Alexander Povetkin, Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz Jr.

Despite their status as two of the most celebrated heavyweights of their era, a fight between Fury and Joshua has remained elusive. However, speaking on , Matchroom founder Hearn expressed his belief that the much-anticipated showdown is drawing closer.

He shared: "Each fight has to be judged on its own merits. AJ and Fury will fight because his excellency, Turki Alalshikh is committed to do their fight.

"This man is a boxing fanatic, by the way. The guy that's pumping in all these hundreds of millions into boxing in the Middle East - Saudi in particular - has got plans to go bigger and further outside Saudi. That's gonna be an interesting development because he brings with it the one thing that fighters love more than anything else - huge purses. And he will be the one that will insist that this fight happens."

Hearn also drew parallels between the eagerly awaited clash and the legendary face-off between Manny Pacquiao and , which kept fans on tenterhooks for an extended period.

He explained: "Let me take you back. So, Mayweather against Pacquiao was the fight 10, 15 years ago everyone was talking about. And it was a similar situation - everyone's saying, 'when's it gonna happen? When's it gonna happen?' It didn't happen for years, and years, and years.

"And everyone went, 'well, they're both past their best now', the cynics. That fight grossed over $500million dollars. Why? Because all those years of waiting was in fact building the level of the fight to the point of view; Yes, people got frustrated, yes, people got a bit bored with it. But when it happened, it was mega. But is this fight gonna happen? Yes."

In May 2015, Mayweather triumphed with a unanimous decision after 12 rounds against a seemingly invincible Pacquiao, enhancing his record to 48-0 and seizing the WBO welterweight title.

Speculation has been rife about AJ and Fury stepping into the ring together, in what would be a monumental bout for boxing enthusiasts worldwide. The year 2025 might just see the dream match materialise, contingent on the outcome of .

The undefeated Ukrainian was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in May, after defeating Fury via a split-decision over 12 rounds. If he triumphs for the second time this winter, a bout with AJ seems the most logical next step.

, failing to secure the IBF title when he was taken down by a powerful right hand in the fifth round. While he may opt to invoke a rematch clause with DDD next year, he could be enticed to finally face off against the 'Gypsy King' if he falls to the hands of Usyk in two months' time.