Former IBF cruiserweight champion Glenn McCrory doubts Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury will ever happen.
The heavyweight titans have been scheduled to fight multiple times over the last five years, but nothing has happened.
Joshua and Fury could be on course to meet in the ring next year.
They came closest to sharing the ring in 2021, when both guys held all four main sanctioning body belts.
An agreement for a two-bout arrangement was made in August of that year, but those preparations were swiftly abandoned after a judge in a US court determined that Deontay Wilder had the right to exercise his option for a third fight with Fury.
Oleksandr Usyk has already grabbed both men’s world belts, but if they both win their next fights, they might face off for absolute supremacy in the not-too-distant future.
Fury is scheduled to fight Usyk for the WBA, WBC, and WBO championships on December 21, while Joshua will face newly promoted IBF champion Daniel Dubois on September 21.
Saudi boxing chief HE Turki Alalshikh hopes to stage Joshua vs Fury in March 2025, assuming both men come out of their respective fights unhurt.
It has traditionally been the most anticipated fight in British boxing, but McCrory does not believe it is as important as it previously was.
“Often the fights you really want to see don’t happen and a couple of years ago that was a tremendous fight but they’ve missed the boat,” he disclosed to talkSPORT.com.
“I’m not sure that will ever happen to be fair; if Fury doesn’t perform against Usyk, he’ll have done everything and earned enough money to air condition hell.
Fury had his WBC title snatched from him by Usyk in March.
Joshua lost his WBA, IBF, and WBO championships to Usyk in September 2021.
“The same is true if Joshua does not perform against Dubois. They don’t need it, and when the hunger subsides, a fighter is never the same…
“Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have done fantastic things for British heavyweight boxing.”
“For a time, we were a bit of a laughing stock when it came to the top heavyweights in the world and Joshua and Fury have changed that.
“But I think we’ve seen the best of both. There comes a point in every fighter’s life when they hit their peak and the rest is the slide down and both those fighters now are over the top.”
If Joshua wins his fight with Dubois and Usyk beats Fury then there is a chance that AJ gets a third fight with the Ukrainian slickster.
However, it is unknown whether Usyk would entertain the fight, as he has openly stated his desire to return to cruiserweight to become a two-time undisputed champion following the Fury rematch.