Joshua eyeing Fury fight in 2025: 'That's my target'

Anthony Joshua wants to finally step into the ring for a long-awaited showdown against Tyson Fury.

"That's my target: 2025, I'm targeting Tyson Fury," Joshua told NTA News.

The former two-time heavyweight champion is looking to rebound from a stunning knockout loss to IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois in September.

The timing of a matchup against Fury makes sense, with Fury coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in a unified title rematch in December.

Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, who promoted Dubois-Joshua and Usyk-Fury 2, said last month he could see Fury facing Joshua next.

A fight between Fury and Joshua has been talked about for years. They were expected to meet for the undisputed heavyweight title in 2021, but the matchup fizzled out after a judge in a U.S. court ruled that Deontay Wilder had the right to exercise a clause for a trilogy bout with Fury. There's been continued talk of a Fury-Joshua fight since then, but it's never come to fruition.

Joshua added that he hopes to become a three-time champion in addition to facing Fury this year.

The Englishman also reflected on his fifth-round loss to Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London.

"It makes me more hungry," Joshua said. "It makes me want to work harder. Because time is of the essence. Time is limited. So I just want to put in more work. 2024, when I look back, I believe I could've done more. And now I have another chance in 2025 to do more. I'm gonna make sure that I take every opportunity that comes my way."