Tyson Fury is ready to overlook Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Daniel Dubois for a potential £150million showdown.

Joshua, who was expected to triumph over Dubois at Wembley in September, suffered a shocking defeat, being knocked down four times and defeated in five rounds. From his ringside position, Fury lashed out at his fallen foe, accusing him of wasting a colossal nine-figure payday. Despite initial fears that Joshua’s demand for a high-stakes rematch with Dubois could derail the long-awaited resolution to his decade-long rivalry with Fury, the Olympic gold medalist chose to play it safe.

He will now await the outcome of Fury’s Saturday night rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, to whom Fury lost in May, losing his world title and the opportunity to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. If Fury regains his title, calls as a historic trilogy fight with the two-weight kingpin next year will be inevitable.

However, Fury appears more drawn to what he perceives to be an easier fight against fellow two-time champion Joshua, a fight that almost materialized in 2021 before Fury was mandated to face Deontay Wilder again. Ahead of his fourth career rematch, Fury said: “I don’t want to work for everyone. I want everything I can. I want the easiest fights possible for the biggest amount of money possible.”

“I don’t want the hardest fights possible for the least money possible. I wasn’t born in a Christmas cookie. I meant what I said about Joshua costing me 150 million pounds. We would have had a two fight deal planned for a ton of money Unfortunately, doors open, doors close, that’s what it is. …this is what I said the other day: what does it matter if you got knocked out twice or whatever, four, five times, or six or seven? Does it really matter if he gets another loss or not?

Fury could face Joshua even if he follows his compatriot in losing to Usyk for the second time this weekend. Joshua is expected to return to the ring in May, which could see a meeting with Fury in the UK rather than Saudi Arabia. Such a ‘battle of the losers’ would see both fighters win huge purses, even if there was no world title on the line. And Fury, who will share a £150million pot with Usyk, admitted that lining his pockets was his only remaining motivation. “I don’t care about my heritage,” he added.

“The legacy is my children. One thing that is close to my heart is my family, my children and providing for them, taking care of them; that’s it. I don’t do it for the money, obviously. All boxers, if they tell the truth, do it for the money, right?