TYSON FURY and Anthony Joshua are finally on course to settle a score 16 YEARS in the making.
The poster boys of British for the last decade are set to take part in a multi-million-pound two-fight series after
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are set to throw down with one another later this year Credit: GETTY
Netflix are set to air the first of a two-fight series between the pair Credit: GETTY
SunSport understands the first of those two bouts, which will be aired by streaming powerhouses , is tentatively slated to take place in November.
But as has often been the case with the pair over the last ten years, one final hurdle remains before the fists can fly.
The small matter of is the final obstacle in the way of the mammoth melee.
On paper, Albanian assassin Prenga isn’t your typical banana-skin opponent.
But given the seemingly cursed nature of the Fury vs Joshua bout, an upset of epic proportions can’t be ruled out.
In the summer of 2020, the duo agreed terms to fight the following year before scuppered the lucrative two-fight deal by winning his arbitration case for a trilogy bout with Fury.
The fight looked dead in the water after Joshua suffered back-to-back losses to his new mentor in September 2021 and the following summer.
But pound-for-pound king Usyk’s consecutive wins over Fury in 2024, which came either side of Joshua being brutally KO’d by Daniel Dubois, gave fans renewed hope that the fight would happen.
The Home of Boxing in 2026
There's a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
takes on the king of kickboxing Rico Verhoeven and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown against fellow Brit .
returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year.
will be hoping to make a comeback after his defeat to Terence Crawford, while Dave Allen will also be looking to get back to winning ways against Filip Hrgovic.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of , Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
May
- Sat 2 – Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – Undisputed super-bantamweight title – DAZN
- Sat 2 – Zurdo Ramirez vs David Benavidez – WBA & WBO Cruiserweight titles – Prime Video
- Sat 9 – Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois – WBO title – DAZN PPV
- Sat 16 – Dave Allen vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN
- Sat 23 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC title – DAZN
June
- Sat 6 – Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello – WBC super lightweight title – DAZN
- Sat 13 – Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall – DAZN
- Sat 20 – Ryan Garner vs Michael Magnesi – DAZN
- Sat 27 – Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis – DAZN
July
- Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN
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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have already shared the ring with one another Credit: GETTY
Fight fans have clung to the prospect of seeing and Joshua trade heavy leather ever since they claimed heavyweight gold in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
But the seed for the biggest domestic dust-up the nation has ever seen was planted long before either man became a world champion.
In 2010, the squared circle in the Finchley Boxing Club played host to a spar between the then-amateur and English heavyweight champion Fury.
A cocksure Fury, who at the time boasted a perfect 11-0 record, offered his shiny Rolex to anyone who could spark him out.
Joshua accepted the challenge and proceeded to put Fury on notice with three rounds of hell which live long in the memory of ‘The Gypsy King’.
He recalled: “He came out at me for three rounds and he gave me a beating.
“I’m not going to deny it, he gave me hell for leather for three rounds.
“I thought, ‘Oh my god, an amateur is killing me.’
Wembley Stadium is expected to stage at least one of the pair’s bouts Credit: GETTY
Tyson Fury sparred with Anthony Joshua back in 20120 Credit: Getty
Fury admits AJ gave him a “beating” in the three rounds they shared the ring with one another Credit: TGSPHOTO
AJ reminded Fury of their spar during their tense back-and-forth earlier this year Credit: GETTY
“Being a professional, and I’ve been an amateur myself and fought all over the world, I slowed him down a bit with a few good body shots.”
Joshua was quick to remind Fury, who has vowed to get his own back in a series of prank calls to his rival over the years, of the encounter after snubbing his demand for a face-off following his lopsided points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov earlier this month.
During their , he said: “I punched you up when we were kids, and I’ll punch you up again.”
The prospect of Fury and Joshua, 37 and 36 respectively, finally duking it out at Wembley is worth getting excited about.
“But it can’t be overstated how far past its sell-by date the fight is.
Both men will be shadows of their former captivating and destructive selves when they share the ring.
Particularly Joshua, who will be less than a year removed from , in his ancestral homeland of Nigeria.
And come fight night, the bout will more than likely be decided by who Father Time has beaten down more, rather than who has been the better pugilist all along.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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