Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua: Everything you need to know about the proposed heavyweight fight Boxing news

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua both won to put themselves forward for a blockbuster heavyweight showdown at the weekend – here’s everything you need to know about the proposed fight.

Fury and Joshua have shared eras, titles, and discussion tables without ever sharing a ring. A fight was announced for August 2021 in Saudi Arabia and terms were again accepted for a December 2022 date and both fell through without a punch being thrown.

This weekend is expected to be the final box-ticking exercise for both men before the return to the ring becomes a reality.

What happened in Fury and AJ’s warm-up fight?

Fury claimed a seventh-round TKO over Mariusz Watch At the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Thailand on Friday, Wach signaled to his corner to stop the fight before the officials ended it before the eighth.

The bout was not televised and was fought in front of around 1,500 spectators in Pattaya and was the 37-year-old Fury’s second since his last retirement following his points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.

Joshua’s night in Jeddah was much more dramatic. He was floored by Christian Prenger in 20 seconds, hit the canvas twice in the first round, then knocked out the Albanian with a right hand in the second round.

It was AJ’s first outing since a car accident killed his friends Sina Gami and Latif Ayodele in December, and his first fight since stopping Jake Paul last December.

When will this pair fight?

The calendar circled to November and the warm-up double-header was arranged to align with that timeline.

The contract has been signed and the pair are now set to meet, although a specific date has not been announced – although Fury said after defeating Watch that he hoped the fight would be signed “next week”.

Where will the fight be?

No venue has been announced.

Turki Alalsikh, who is promoting the fight, said he wanted to make the fight suitable for a global audience and that he would speak to London authorities about a later-than-usual start.

Sky Sports Revealed, though, that Brent Council has yet to be approached about extending Wembley Stadium’s usual 11pm curfew.

Joshua’s publicist Eddie Hearn has revealed that the US is now the preferred destination for Alalsikh, but highlighted that the current signed contracts state that the fight must take place in the UK.

“This is not consistent with the agreement we signed,” he said. “Until we are happy, we expect every point of the agreement to be followed. I think this fight should be in the UK.

“If they want to change the contract, we have to renegotiate the contract. Which, by the way, is not a problem but it’s a conversation we have to have.”

Eddie’s father Barry Hearn has championed Wembley, while Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has been rumoured, but Croke Park does not appear to be an option despite earlier suggestions of talks about moving the bout to Dublin.

“It could be two or three different places but there are still objections to a few of them and the one person who is going to make a decision is Turki Alalsikh and Netflix,” said Fury’s manager Spencer Brown.

“They’re going to make decisions. They both want to fight, so there’s going to be some cuts and changes.”

What did AJ say?

“I’m going to rip his heart out,” Joshua said after beating Prenga. “All jokes aside, I respect everything he’s done and achieved but here we are now.

“I hope the fans get a nice treat.”

He dedicated Saturday’s win to his late friends, adding: “It was more than just punch, it was spirit.”

Joshua also insisted that the contract states the fight must take place in the UK.

What did Fury say?

Fury gets his shots in after watching and beating Joshua was questioned as to whether he had the “courage” to face himAfter Makhmudov’s fight in front of 70,000 in Tottenham, his opponent refused to enter the ring.

“The biggest test of all is how big his ***** is,” Fury said.

“I think he’s a big ********. In front of 70,000 people at Tottenham, he never had the guts to step into the ring and face me.

“Let’s see if he ever does, I’m not convinced.”

Phiri then leaves Vegas, New York, Ireland, London, Belfast and even Pattaya as possible venues.

That followed him Sky Sports News interview in Fight Week, where he said “I don’t care if I see him again in my life” and vowed not to travel to Saudi Arabia for the encounter.

Despite expressing his concerns, Fury said he hopes the next big fight will be signed next week and his management confirmed they are definitely looking to get it done within the next fortnight.

“When the fight is announced, which we hope we will be in the next couple of weeks,” Brown said. “There’s still a number of contractual things that we have to get through, like 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 sort that out in the next couple of weeks.”

Who is the favorite according to the experts?

Former middleweight world title contender Matthew McLean Believes ‘Gypsy King’ is the clear favourite.

“I think Tyson Fury is the favorite,” McLean said. “I think it’s because he has a style and an asset that’s better at age. I think AJ is more athletic but those athletic qualities diminish as you get older.

“I think his punch resistance is probably gone now. Dubois, that was a bad knockout, and he had that fight against Jake Paul.

“I don’t think his punch resistance will be anywhere near what it once was, and his reflexes won’t be what they were, so it’s kind of a double whammy.

“Fury, his reflexes won’t be what they were so it’s not like it’s all down to AJ. He’s not the fighter he was. None 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 prime, so it’s still going to be an interesting battle.”

As is the Sky Sports boxing expert and former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny NelsonHe said: “There is a word ‘mercurial’ and it describes Anthony Joshua.

“He’s got a lot of talent but it’s a case of which version of him you see on the night of the performance.

“The talented fighter that we know, he wasn’t there (Saturday). The guts, the heart, he was there, because 20 seconds later he had to go down and get back up. He’s still making mistakes. I think, you shouldn’t make those mistakes at this stage of your career.

“Listen, I’m an AJ fan, but I have to lean on Tyson Fury’s fluidity, his boxing ability — because of that vulnerability of Anthony Joshua, getting caught by that sneaky little uppercut on the inside, getting caught again.

“These are natural shots of Tyson Fury. When it comes to heart, determination, desire and will, I put it in Anthony Joshua’s corner.

“But in last night’s performance and Friday night’s performance, from what I saw, I have to lean toward Tyson Fury.”

What next?

Date and venue announcements are key pieces of outstanding information but, with the November window, this confirmation is expected within weeks.

For reference, tickets for Joshua’s fight with Dubois went on sale three months before that event.

The plan for both men to arrive over the weekend was a joint press conference to officially announce the fight, although Fury’s refusal to share a stage with Joshua makes that format uncertain, and there is also the issue of space to answer.

Fury expects a signing in the days before fans see what will be one of the most eagerly awaited British boxing matches of all time.