Groves Suggests Fury vs Joshua Clash is Already Sealed

Former world champion George Groves has stirred excitement by hinting that a long-anticipated showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua may already be signed or is nearing completion, *The PUNCH* reports.

In an exclusive chat with CasinoBeats, Groves claimed both British heavyweights are set to face off next, without any tune-up fights beforehand, and believes Fury’s recent absence from the spotlight is simply part of the pre-announcement hype.

“You don’t need to convince him,” Groves said when asked about Fury’s return. “I think it’s done. He’s fighting Joshua. He’s just switched off from boxing for a while. I’m almost certain the fight is either signed and ready, just waiting to be announced, or very close to being finalised.”

Groves, a former WBA super-middleweight champion, said there’s no need for either fighter to take interim bouts, as they’re both past that phase.

“Joshua won’t have a warm-up. Those days are over. They’ll go straight at each other,” he said. “Both are coming off losses, neither in great form. Fury probably worse. Joshua lost to Dubois, but was doing alright before that. Fury went through hell with a cage fighter.”

He jokingly added that with their recent ties to MMA fighters, the bout might as well happen inside a cage.

Groves also weighed in on Joshua’s legacy, comparing him to former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye — and didn’t mince words.

“Haye was a much better fighter than Joshua,” Groves asserted. “He had speed, power, and if he caught you, it was over. I saw him spar with Deontay Wilder, Carlos Takam — all top guys — and he held his own.”

Recalling his own experience training with Haye, Groves said: “I had a quick jab, good reflexes, but I couldn’t lay a glove on him. When he jabbed, it felt like he knocked my teeth out. Heavyweights shouldn’t move like that.”

Groves said a hypothetical Haye vs Joshua bout would have been a dramatic shootout, but Haye’s superior technique and quickness gave him the edge — even if both had fight-ending power.

“Haye was a world-class amateur, won silver at the Worlds. Maybe I’m biased, having seen more of Haye, but I’d call it a 50–50 fight. It would’ve been an absolute cracker.”

Now retired since 2018 and a respected figure in British boxing, Groves also commented on the rumoured match-up between rising prospect Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte — a fight reportedly offered to Derek Chisora for £2 million, which he declined.

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“Whyte’s in it for the paydays now,” Groves remarked. “He doesn’t have the same profile or credibility as Chisora. His options are limited.”

On Whyte’s desire to revisit a fight with Joshua, Groves referenced the bout cancelled last year after Whyte failed a drug test.

“They were set to fight again, but Whyte popped for drugs. Joshua’s not a fan of that,” he said. “After what happened with Big Baby Miller and Ruiz stepping in, he doesn’t like last-minute changes — or drug cheats.”