Anthony Joshua is expected to face Tyson Fury later this year, according to Eddie Hearne, but the Gypsy King has to defeat Oleksandr Usyk first.

For nearly the whole of their individual careers, fans have been talking about a Battle of Britain battle between the two heavyweight legends, and it now seems like it could happen.

The heavyweight division appears to be headed toward unification with Joshua’s fight against Usyk, but Joshua must first get past fights against Dillon Whyte and Deontay Wilder, as Hearn confirmed the 34-year-old’s next immediate opponents.

Joshua, who is backed by Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, is awaiting the announcement of his next opponent after defeating Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion.

During a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Hearn answered a question on darts prodigy Luke Littler and disclosed the likelihood of Joshua facing Fury in the ring later this year.

According to Eddie Hearne, Anthony Joshua will face Tyson Fury later this year.

Hearn claimed that negotiations between the two camps are complicated at times and Fury ‘only cares about the money’

‘Because the darts Championship happens in December and January, I’m gonna say that Fury vs AJ happens this year,’ he said.

‘So I’m gonna say Fury vs AJ [happens first].’

There have been many setbacks in the protracted dispute about whether and when the two would ultimately square off, and there are still many more to come as both parties try to reach an agreement.

Although Fury and Joshua had previously agreed to a fight, it was ultimately canceled when negotiations fell down, and Fury went on to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy bout.

In the meanwhile, Usyk stunned the field by defeating Joshua twice to win the British champion titles.

Joshua is scheduled to take on Dillon Whyte after eliminating former UFC star Francis Ngannou in his most recent bout.

Fury is set to fight Oleksanr Usy in a heavyweight unification bout later this year

‘Everybody wants to see this fight and on August 12, Anthony Joshua will fight Dillion Whyte, after that he will fight Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia and then after that it has to be Tyson Fury’ said Hearn.

Tyson Fury turned down the Usyk fight, the mort important fight in boxing, the undisputed heavyweight worl d championship to fight an MMA fighter who has never had a fight before in his life.

‘We have to be honest, Fury cares about one thing only, the money.’

The 44-year-old later explained that Fury must beat both Usyk and Joshua to be a true boxing great, adding: ‘He has to beat Usyk and he has to beat Anthony Joshua, particularly Usyk.’