According to former world heavyweight champion David Haye, the time has come for Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to finally face each other in the ring. As a two-weight world titlist and a pioneer of British heavyweight boxing, Haye believes the fight between Joshua and Fury is crucial for their legacies.
Haye emphasized that both fighters need this bout to cement their places in boxing history, stating, 'They both need each other, for their own legacies, different reasons. They both need to say Anthony Joshua was in the same era as Tyson Fury, vice versa, and they battled it out to figure out who won.' The call for the fight comes as both Fury and Joshua have recently suffered losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury has just returned to boxing after a year-long hiatus, while Joshua is resuming training after recovering from a car accident. With talks underway for a potential fight this year, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that they have received a contract for the Fury fight, which is currently under discussion. Haye acknowledges that both boxers may be past their prime, but he believes the fight can still be a commercial success, much like the Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao bout. Fury's recent 12 rounds with Arslanbek Makhmudov have prepared him for the Joshua fight, according to Haye, who views it as a 'nice stepping stone to the big one.' From Fury's perspective, Haye thinks he has chosen an opponent with similar dimensions to Joshua, which will be a useful warm-up for their highly anticipated matchup.