Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will lastly meet in a battle that’s “signed, sealed, delivered”, Eddie Hearn confirmed on April 27.
The bout between the 2 most high-profile British fighters of contemporary occasions has been mooted since 2011 and now seems sure to happen between the previous heavyweight champions.
The fighter referred to as The Gypsy King returned for the primary time in additional than 15 months by beating 6ft 6in Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April, with Joshua asserting later that month that he can be again within the ring for the primary time in seven months towards Kristian Prenga.
Right here’s what we learn about Fury vs Joshua, together with the battle date, venue and what’s been mentioned concerning the blockbuster showdown.
When is Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua?
The scrap will happen in the course of the fourth quarter of 2026, relying on Joshua beating 35-year-old Albanian Prenga in July.
Joshua knocked out rookie Jake Paul – higher referred to as a YouTuber – in Miami in December. Later that month, two members of the Londoner’s staff had been killed when Joshua’s driver crashed a automobile in Nigeria.
“It’s a comeback battle after some fairly extreme accidents and a really traumatic time in his life,” mentioned Hearn, who’s Joshua’s promoter and the pinnacle of Matchroom Boxing, chatting with iFL TV on April 24.
“We solely have a battle like that if we’ve signed to battle Tyson Fury. We have to be 100% in physique and thoughts once we battle Tyson Fury.”
The place will the Fury vs Joshua battle happen?
Hearn is “hopeful” that the competition will happen in London, the place Wembley Stadium is the biggest potential setting.
Joshua set an attendance capability for a British brawl when the fighter referred to as AJ was knocked out by Daniel Dubois on the nationwide stadium in September 2024.
The battle may happen in Riyadh as a result of it has been organized by Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Common Leisure Authority, who shared Hearn’s put up confirming the contract signing alongside a earlier photograph of the pair with Joshua.
Joshua has fought in two title and two non-title fights in Saudi Arabia, the place three successive Fury bouts occurred between 2023 and 2024, together with each of his defeats to Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC, WBA (Tremendous), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring belts.
“The battle will land wherever his excellency needs,” accepted Hearn. “It may very well be in Timbuctoo. Myself and AJ, Tyson Fury, can have a contract the place his excellency is funding the battle.
“It’s as much as him the place it’s. He additionally needs to make historical past. He’s not going to place it in some random place.
“He needs this to ship, for the followers, what it’s, which is the largest battle within the historical past of our nation… I’m not paying the payments, so I can’t provide the reply [on the venue].”
Hearn appeared to counsel that Dublin’s Croke Park will not be an possibility however mentioned talks had beforehand been held over the battle going down there.
Two of the final three fights in Saudi Arabia involving Joshua or Fury have been held in December. Joshua additionally beat Andy Ruiz Jr there in December 2019.
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury tickets: Matchroom to advertise
Matchroom will organise the battle with the leisure authority’s Riyadh Season of occasions, Hearn mentioned.
Tickets for Joshua’s battle with Dubois went on sale a little bit beneath three months earlier than the occasion.
Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga: Fury ‘battle of all time’
Probably the most profitable occasion in British boxing historical past hinges on Joshua, who has misplaced 4 of his final 9 fights towards established boxers, avoiding an upset towards Prenga, who has earned all 20 of his wins by knockout and suffered his one profession defeat on factors.
“The excellent news is that if we take a battle like this, we have now signed to battle Tyson Fury,” Hearn mentioned.
“All you’ve obtained to do is chunk your fingernails in July for 36 minutes or much less and also you’ve obtained not the battle of the century, however the battle of all time.”
Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua information
Fury gained his first 35 fights, beating hall-of-famer Wladimir Klitschko in his twenty fifth to win the WBA (Tremendous), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring titles.
Now 37, he challenged Deontay Wilder for the WBC belt in a attract 2018 and gained and defended that title in successive bouts towards the American in 2021 and 2022.
These defeats to Usyk imply that Fury doesn’t at the moment have a title.
One of the vital adorned names in British boxing historical past, Joshua was a super-heavyweight Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and had gained 28 of his earlier 32 fights, resulting in justified issues that his scrap with Paul would show an unedifying mismatch.
Joshua knocked out Klitschko at Wembley Stadium to start out the primary of his two spells as unified world heavyweight champion, between 2017 and 2019 and 2019 and 2021.
He misplaced successive conferences with Usyk in 2021 and 2022, then collected 4 straight wins towards opponents of questionable high quality earlier than being stopped by Dubois.
| Age | Professional debut | Wins (KO) | Defeats (KO) | Attracts | |
| Tyson Fury | 37 | Dec 2008 | 35 (24) | 2 (0) | 1 |
| Anthony Joshua | 36 | Oct 2013 | 29 (26) | 4 (2) | 0 |
Anthony Joshua pictures: Copyright Esther Lin / Most Worthwhile Promotions
