ANTHONY JOSHUA’s long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury could finally come to fruition this year.

AJ is back in world title contention following consecutive wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin last year.

Anthony Joshua is back in world title contention following three wins on the bounceCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING

A Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury could come to fruition at the end of the year for AJCredit: GETTY

Boxing legend Mike Tyson reckons Fury will do a number on AJCredit: GETTY

His trio of wins have put him on the cusp of potentially fighting for the IBF heavyweight title, which is expected to become vacant after Fury’s undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk next month.

Reclaiming the IBF crown for the second time could pave the way for a historic domestic dust-up with Fury, provided his fellow Brit gets through Usyk.

The boxing world is currently divided over who will win the showdown following AJ’s resurgence and Fury’s embarrassing display against debutant Francis Ngannou last October.

But boxing icon Tyson has already made a definitive prediction for the Battle of Britain, telling Haute Living: “I love Joshua, but I think Tyson’s too elusive he’s not going to hit him.

“We’re keeping it honest right?

“I like Joshua a lot and Joshua maybe punches harder than [Deontay] Wilder, but he doesn’t punch faster than Wilder.

“If he doesn’t punch faster than Wilder, he’s not going to f**king touch this guy.

“That’s just what I see. He punches hard, but he doesn’t punch fast.

“If Tyson Fury can get away from Wilder’s fast punches, then Joshua might be in trouble.”

Joshua’s road to a potential Fury fight goes through former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou, who he faces in Saudi Arabia on March 8.

And the Watford warrior is refusing to underestimate The Predator after watching him shock the world and put Fury on his backside in their controversial crossover clash.

He said: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t. Francis has lost the element of surprise with me.

“We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world but the surprise was how well he boxed.

“He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson.

“So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.”