Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua both won over the weekend to keep themselves on course for a blockbuster heavyweight showdown – here is everything you need to know about the proposed fight.
Fury and Joshua have shared eras, headlines and negotiating tables without ever sharing a ring. A fight was previously announced for August 2021 in Saudi Arabia and terms were accepted again for a December 2022 date before both collapsed without a punch being thrown.
This weekend’s return to the ring for both men is expected to be the final box-ticking exercise before it happens for real this time.
What happened in Fury and AJ’s warm-up fights?
Fury claimed a seventh-round TKO over Mariusz Wach at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Thailand on Friday, with Wach signalling to his corner to wave the fight off before the officials ended it ahead of the eighth.
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Dev Sahni reveals how Tyson Fury toppled Mariusz Wach in a non-TV fight in Thailand
The bout was not televised and fought in front of around 1,500 spectators in Pattaya and was the 37-year-old Fury’s second since ending his latest retirement, following his points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
Joshua’s night in Jeddah was far more dramatic. He was floored inside 20 seconds by Kristian Prenga, hit the canvas twice in the first round, then knocked out the Albanian with right hands in the second.
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Watch the moment Anthony Joshua sealed victory over Kristian Prenga with a huge second round knockout (Courtesy of DAZN)
It was AJ’s first outing since he was a passenger in a December car crash that killed his friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele and his first fight since stopping Jake Paul last December.
When will the pair fight?
The calendar has been circled for November and the warm-up double-header was arranged to align with that timeline.
Contracts are signed and the pair are now set to meet, though a precise date has not been announced – although Fury said after beating Wach that he hopes the fight is signed “next week”.
Where will the fight be?
No venue has been announced.
Turki Alalshikh, who is promoting the fight, has said he wants the fight to suit a global audience and that he will talk to London authorities over a later-than-usual start time.
Sky Sports revealed, though, that Brent Council had not yet been contacted about extending Wembley Stadium’s usual 11pm curfew.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that the USA is now the preferred venue for Alalshikh, but highlighted that the current signed contracts state that the fight must be in the UK.
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Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn hit back at Fury’s claims he was worried about a potential bout against AJ falling through
“That doesn’t tally up with the contract that we signed,” he said. “Until we’re happy, we expect every point of that contract to be followed. I feel like this fight should be taking place in the UK.
“If they want to change the contract, then we have to renegotiate the contract. Which, by the way, is not a problem but it’s a conversation we have to have.”
Wembley has been championed by Barry Hearn, Eddie’s dad, while Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has been rumoured but Croke Park appears not to be an option despite earlier suggestions of talks about moving the bout to Dublin.
“There’s two or three different places it could be but there’s still objections to a few of them and the one man who’s going to make the decisions is Turki Alalshikh, and Netflix,” said Spencer Brown, Fury’s manager.
“They’re going to make the decisions. They both want the fight, so there’s going to be a bit of chopping and changing.”
What has AJ said?
“I am going to rip his heart out,” Joshua said after beating Prenga. “All jokes aside, I respect everything he has done and achieved but we are here now.
“I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat.”
He also dedicated the win on Saturday to his late friends, adding: “It’s more than just punch power, it was spirit.”
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An emotional Anthony Joshua dedicates his win over Kristian Prenga to his late friends who died in December’s car crash (Courtesy of DAZN)
Joshua has also insisted the contract states the fight must be in the UK.
What has Fury said?
Fury got his shots in after beating Wach and questioned whether Joshua has the “guts” to face him, referencing his rival declining to enter the ring after the Makhmudov fight in front of 70,000 at Tottenham.
“The biggest test of it all is how big his ***** are,” said Fury.
“I think he’s a big s********. In Tottenham in front of 70,000 people, he never had the guts to get in the ring and face me.
“Let’s see if he ever does, I’m not convinced.”
Fury then reeled off Vegas, New York, Ireland, London, Belfast and even Pattaya as possible venues.
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Spencer Brown says Tyson Fury’s presence at ringside for Joshua vs Prenga was never discussed and he’s not convinced AJ will be in favour of fighting The Gypsy King in New York
That followed his Sky Sports News interview in fight week, where he said “I don’t care if I ever see him again in my life” and vowed not to travel to Saudi Arabia for a face-off.
Despite voicing his concerns, Fury did say he hopes the next big fight is signed next week and his management confirmed that they are looking to definitely get it done within the next fortnight.
“When the fight is announced, which we anticipate we will do in the next couple of weeks,” said Brown. “There’s still a couple of contractual things that we need to get through, i.e. where it’s going to be, when it’s going to be, how it’s going to be, but I’ve been assured that we’ll be sorting it out in the next couple of weeks.”
Who is the favourite according to the experts?
Former middleweight world title contender Matthew Macklin believes that the ‘Gypsy King’ is the clear favourite.
“I think Tyson Fury is favourite,” said Macklin. “I think because he’s got a style and assets that age better. I think AJ is more athletic but as you get older those athletic qualities diminish.
“I think his punch resistance probably has gone now. Dubois, it was a bad knockout, and he’s had that fight against Jake Paul since.
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Barry Hearn backs Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury when the British rivals finally meet later this year, insisting Wembley Stadium is the ideal venue for fans.
“I don’t think his punch resistance will be anywhere near what it once was, and also his reflexes won’t be what they were, so it’s like a double whammy.
“Fury, his reflexes won’t be what they were either so it’s not like it’s all AJ on the decline. He’s not the fighter he was. Neither of them were, but I think we all know that and accept that.
“It’s still a level playing field because they’re both past their best, so it’s still going to be an intriguing battle.”
As for Sky Sports Boxing expert and former WBO Cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson, he said: “There’s a word called ‘mercurial’ and that describes Anthony Joshua.
“He’s got so much talent but it’s a case of which version of him turns up on performance night.
“The talented fighter we know, he wasn’t there [on Saturday]. The guts, the heart, he was there, because after 20 seconds he got put down and had to get back up again. He was still making rookie mistakes. I’m thinking, you shouldn’t make those mistakes at this stage in your career.
“Listen, I’m an AJ fan, but I’d have to lean towards Tyson Fury’s fluidity, his boxing ability – because of that vulnerability from Anthony Joshua, getting caught by that sneaky little uppercut on the inside, getting caught again.
“These are natural shots from Tyson Fury. When it comes to heart, determination, desire and want, I put that in the corner of Anthony Joshua.
“But on last night’s performance and on Friday night’s performance, I’d have to lean towards Tyson Fury, from what I’ve seen.”
What next?
The date and venue announcement is the key piece of outstanding information but, given the November window, that confirmation is expected within weeks.
For reference, tickets for Joshua’s fight with Dubois went on sale a little under three months before that event.
The plan once both men came through the weekend was a joint press conference to formally announce the fight, though Fury’s refusal to share a stage with Joshua makes the shape of that uncertain and there is also the venue conundrum to answer.
Fury expects a signing within days before fans can look forward to what will be one of the most eagerly awaited British boxing matches of all time.
