Following more than ten years of maneuvering and rivalries - a saga filled with competing promoters, changing managers, disrupted broadcast agreements and collapsed talks - everything now rests on this moment.

The premier heavyweight contest in British boxing history - Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua - depends on one last two-day window.

On Friday, Fury, aged 37, meets Mariusz Wach in the unexpected setting of Pattaya, Thailand. No broadcaster is involved, only a small audience is anticipated and the opponent is 46 years old.

The next night, roughly 4,000 miles distant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Joshua faces Kristian Prenga - an Albanian power puncher whom even dedicated boxing followers might overlook in a crowd.

If events unfold smoothly, Fury will depart Thailand shortly after defeating Wach, board a private plane and travel to Saudi Arabia, where he is set to enter the ring and finally stand opposite Joshua.

It would count as one of the biggest shocks in heavyweight annals should Fury fall to a fighter turning 47 this year who has dropped seven of his previous ten bouts.

"Fury ought to control the action but the main concern for me is that he appears unconvincing," Bunce says.

"Also, Tyson could discover he has lost some edge and notices weaknesses within himself."

There exists slightly more uncertainty for Joshua. Prenga remains largely unfamiliar to most fans, yet his record commands attention: 20 victories, 20 stoppages and one loss.

"This matchup is meant to be testing, yet not overly so," Hearn says.

"He has never competed at AJ's standard, but until you face that level, you cannot know if you measure up. Still he is capable, willing and poses a threat."

The larger danger to the Fury-AJ mega-fight remains injury.

"Tyson is too astute and skilled and I believe Wach will avoid using elbows or head. There will be a form of mutual understanding," Bunce adds.

"He might hurt his arm or leg. At Tyson's stage, with intense preparation periods, that remains possible. The same could occur to Joshua."