It has been a long and winding road, but at last Tyson vs Anthony Joshua is officially and definitely on.
On Monday afternoon (April 27), we got the announcement that the two greatest British heavyweights of their era will lock horns in a might showdown in Q4 of 2026 (exclusively live on Netflix).
Fury (35-2-1) and Joshua (29-4) will put their reputations on the line in a showdown which should earn man a staggering payday – north of £100million for a single night’s work.
The announcement that both men have signed to meet in centre ring came with a single, short social media message from Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh. He wrote: “To my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed.”
The road to Fury vs Joshua
For Alalshikh it finally brings to end a five-year chase to seal this deal, remember we have been here before. Back in 2021 Fury and Joshua signed on the dotted line for a two-fight deal, with the first fight set for that August in Saudi Arabia.
Just when it seemed we were getting the showdown between two British megastars for the undisputed world heavyweight championship, along came Deontay Wilder to win an arbitration ruling to force a trilogy fight with Fury. Then Joshua lost his titles to a certain Oleksandr Usyk, and the grand play lay in ruins.
It says much for the size of this fight that even though it is arguably happening five years too late, it still carries enormous lustre. Think Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao back in 2015, this is the British version.
Fury is now 37 years old and Joshua is not far behind him at 36, while neither man now holds a heavyweight title (this is the Usyk era). Nobody would argue that either is anywhere near their prime. Both have suffered losses, dropped their belts and seen Father Time start to erode their prodigious skills.
But still, despite all of that, this is a legacy fight, not just for these two superstars, but for a boxing era. Imagine Britain having a pair of two-time world heavyweight champions, without them ever meeting in the ring. It would have been criminal.
Joshua warmup fight confirmed
Now though we should no longer need to worry, money talks and it will happen, assuming that Joshua comes through his warmup fight in Riyadh on July 25. There should be little risk though, with his opponent being the little-known Albanian journeyman Kristian Prenga.
One look at Prenga’s resume should tell you all you need to know, that assignment for AJ is all about NOT fumbling the bag. He is on the brink of the biggest payday of his life, this is no time to take risks.
Fury did his job just over two weeks ago when he returned from a 16-month retirement to easily outpoint the giant but robotic Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov. ‘The Gypsy King’ showed that he still has plenty left in the tank, and those rounds will put him right for the blockbuster with Joshua.
AJ undoubtedly has more questions to answer, and he will go into fight night against Fury as the underdog. We can forget the knockout of YouTuber Jake Paul last December as any sort of evidence where the Watford behemoth currently stands in the heavyweight pecking order. The last real clue came in a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September 2024.
Joshua will also have other demons to overcome as he charts the path to his big night against Fury. Just days after that win over Paul, he escaped from the horrific car crash which killed two of his closest friends and team members. There are some scars that time can never heal.
Two great champions finally meet
While many will argue who has the best record going into that epic showdown, one thing is not up for debate. Both have been great adverts for British boxing and the heavyweight division. For that reason alone we should not begrudge them the biggest paycheck of their lives, even if it is arriving a little too late.
Come Q4, likely somewhere in the UK (likely Wembley Stadium), tens of millions will stream the bout on Netflix and close on 100,000 will snap up tickets to be there in person.
This is British boxing’s ultimate fight, its ultimate ‘I was there’ moment. At last, it is finally here.
