The highly anticipated boxing clash in the heavyweight category between Britain’s Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has taken another significant step forward after both boxers won their respective warm-up bouts at recent events, although not without moments of great tension and drama.
First into the ring was Tyson Fury, who scored a seventh-round TKO victory over 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand. Fury’s fight was a warm-up for the main fight.
Anthony Joshua’s night in Saudi Arabia had a completely different script.
Facing lesser-known Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga, Joshua was expected to have a comfortable victory on his return, but he was surprised and fell to the ring after just 20 seconds and again in the opening round, before staging a stunning comeback to knock Prenga out in the second round.
With both boxers victorious and contracts already agreed in advance, what is considered the biggest fight in British boxing remains on track. Reports indicate scholarships of around US$100 million for each of the athletes, which represents a strong incentive for the agreement to be finalized.
However, there are still several hurdles to overcome before the mega event can be officially confirmed.
The details on the deal for the battle in the ring
Many fans and pundits expected Fury to travel directly from Thailand to Saudi Arabia for a showdown in the ring following a Joshua victory.
Interestingly, the only time the two fighters were in the same ring was during a training session at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in 2010.
After defeating Wach, Fury stated that he would not travel to Jeddah and, despite rumors circulating on Saturday, he kept his word. Journalists briefly believed he had arrived at the scene when a Fury look-alike got out of a car near the arena.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, however, insisted the fight against Fury will take place soon.
“It’s done. We signed a legally binding contract about three months ago,” Matchroom’s Hearn said.
Netflix is expected to stream the event globally to more than 325 million subscribers, but the biggest unanswered questions are when and where the fight will take place.
New York in November is one of the main options for combat
The Madison Square Garden arena in New York, United States, in November is among the main options being considered, as organizers in Saudi Arabia seek to maximize the event’s appeal in the American market.
British fans understandably want the fight to be held in the UK, specifically at Wembley Stadium.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh had previously suggested that if the fight was organized in Britain it would have to start in the early hours of the morning to cater for the lucrative American television audience.
A late time would not be unheard of for big fights. Ricky Hatton’s fight against Kostya Tszyu in Manchester in 2005 started at around 2am (British Summer Time), while Joe Calzaghe’s victories over Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler also started after midnight.
The Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, would show interest in hosting the Fury-Joshua clash, but the fight would have to be held on October 31st or November 28th. The three Saturdays between these dates are already occupied by Wales rugby matches.
Wembley Stadium has an 11pm curfew, although London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Brent Council have indicated they would be open to discussing an extension for this major sporting event.
However, sources close to the mayor informed media outlets a few days ago that the organizers had not yet made contact for negotiations on the topic.
Anthony Joshua shows preference for Wembley
Joshua and Fury have signed separate contracts with Alalshikh, who is financing the fight.
Hearn, however, insists that their agreement calls for the fighting to take place in Britain.
“We insisted this fight be in the UK,” Hearn said. “I know AJ sometimes wants to be a bit of a peacemaker, but the reality is he told me, ‘I want the fight in the UK. This is a British fight’. I couldn’t agree more.”
He added: “We would have conversations, but the only way the fight won’t take place in England is if Anthony Joshua and I agree, because we have a legally binding contract.”
Joshua also made his preference clear after his victory.
“I wouldn’t expect it to be at Tottenham [Hotspur Stadium] or the Principality Stadium [in Cardiff], with all due respect,” he commented. “Wembley has the history, that’s what comes to mind when you think about it.”
Hearn said that if Saudi organizers decide they want to hold the fight in the United States, Joshua’s contract would need to be renegotiated.
Is the fight between Fury and Joshua still a big event?
From the point of view of boxing purists, the confrontation takes place years late.
Fans wanted Fury and Joshua to face each other when they were both world champions and at the peak of their careers, rather than after years of negotiations, failed talks and defeats.
Other super-fights have also come later than many expected, including Floyd Mayweather’s victory over Manny Pacquiao in 2015 and, closer to the British public, Amir Khan’s defeat to Kell Brook in 2022.
Commercially, however, the Fury x Joshua clash remains an event of gigantic proportions.
Joshua’s knockout of Jake Paul introduced him to a wider American audience beyond traditional boxing fans, while Fury has built a huge following through his WWE appearances, trilogy with Deontay Wilder and his Netflix series.
Fury and Joshua are two of Britain’s biggest sporting figures. For casual fans around the world, this is reason enough to tune in and sell out any stadium or arena, demonstrating the fight’s high commercial value even after the delays.
Who is the favorite to win?
Joshua’s comeback against Prenga was one of the bravest performances of his career, but it also highlighted well-known vulnerabilities. Taken down twice by a heavyweight competing at the world level for the first time, he somehow recovered to produce a dramatic stoppage victory.
The fighting also took place under extraordinary circumstances.
Joshua was fighting for the first time since surviving a car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. The emotional toll was obvious afterwards as he struggled to speak during his post-fight interview.
Its recent results and performances raise some doubts. Since the end of 2023, Joshua has beaten Otto Wallin, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, YouTuber-boxer Paul and unknown Prenga. The last time he faced a high-level opponent, he suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois.
Fury didn’t seem untouchable either. Before comfortably beating Wach, he overcame Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, but had lost two consecutive world title fights to Oleksandr Usyk. His split decision win over Ngannou in 2023 also came after being knocked down by the MMA star.
Perhaps the question now is no longer who is the best heavyweight, but rather who has declined the least in their recent performance.
