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Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight contracted to be in UK

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s long-awaited heavyweight showdown is contracted to take place in the United Kingdom, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.

The pair are due to meet later this year after agreeing to face each other in a deal backed by Saudi Arabian boxing powerbroker Turki Al-Sheikh.

The location and date of the heavyweight contest has yet to be confirmed with multiple venues linked to hosting the bout.

The latest suggested to be in the running was Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, according to a report by BoxingScene.

But Hearn, Joshua’s longtime promoter, has confirmed to The Athletic that the contract for the fight stipulates the bout must take place in the UK.

READ MORE : After We’ve waited nearly fifteen years to see Anthony Joshua and

The fight organisers — Ring Magazine, which is owned by Al-Sheikh — are targeting a November date and Wembley Stadium will be favourite to stage the bout given it has the largest capacity venue in the UK.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has hosted three major Ring Magazine events including Fury’s April win over Arslanbek Makhmudov but it would reduce the number of people able to attend a bout which will be hugely anticipated even though both men are no longer world champions.

Anthony Joshua

Joshua, 36, is due to face Albanian Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Fury, 37, also wants a warm-up bout before the all-British showdown later this year but has yet to agree a deal. He has previously stated on his Instagram account that he will fight in Dublin on August 1.

Frank Warren’s Queensberry are hosting an event that night at the 3 Arena but no confirmation Fury will feature has been made yet.

If both men come through the warm-up bouts unscathed then they will meet later this year with the highly-anticipated fight to be broadcast on streaming service Netflix.

Promoter Eddie Hearn confirms UK to host Joshua versus Tyson Fury fight

Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury fight is contractually bound to take place in the United Kingdom, dismissing reports that the bout could be moved to the United States, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Hearn, who worked alongside Frank Warren to finalise the terms of the blockbuster heavyweight showdown, said the signed contract explicitly mandates a British location for the fight, which is expected to take place later this year.

The announcement comes after reports suggested American venues, including SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and sites in Las Vegas, had made substantial financial pitches to host the event.

Hearn moved quickly to shut down those claims, insisting that the legal framework governing the fight leaves no room for a change of location without full agreement from all parties involved.

Saudi financial backers and any outside investors cannot unilaterally alter the venue, with promotional companies holding equal say on such decisions under the terms of the contract.

Both fighters are expected to return to the ring over the summer before the headline winter showdown, with Fury’s camp already preparing for a bout in Dublin that will serve as a key stepping stone ahead of the main event.

The Joshua-Fury rivalry has been building for a decade, with the pair yet to finally settle their differences in the ring.

“I’ll beat him” Former Joshua opponent vows to ‘mess up the plans’ if he faces Tyson Fury next

Tyson Fury is gearing up for an August outing, ahead of his eventual showdown with Anthony Joshua, touted for November.

Now, one opponent who has been linked to a clash with ‘The Gypsy King’ has promised to ‘ruin Fury’s plans’, if given the opportunity

Fury ended a 16-month spell of inactivity by outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov back in April, before making a beeline for Joshua in a post-fight interview and demanding a long-awaited fight with his perennial rival.

Since then, it appears as though terms have been agreed, but the event still hinges on both men being successful in their respective ‘tune-up’ bouts, with ‘AJ’ scheduled to fight Albania’s Kristian Prenga on Saturday, July 25.

READ MORE : Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk look on as Olympic gold

For Fury, an opponent is yet to be announced ahead of a reported August bout, but former unified heavyweight champion and Joshua conquerer, Andy Ruiz Jr, has been mentioned as one potential dance partner.

Speaking to iFL TV, ‘The Destroyer’ vowed that he would ruin Fury’s plans and take his position in a fight with Joshua, if selected as his August opponent.

“I hope so [that I get the Tyson Fury fight], but if they are smart, they wouldn’t take it. What I have been telling everybody is, ‘if I get that fight with Tyson Fury, you best believe; tell Eddie [Hearn], tell Turki [Al-Alshikh], tell everybody that I am going to mess up the plans’, because I am gonna win that damn fight.

Anthony Joshua

“Best believe that I am going to be the one ending up fighting Anthony Joshua, we are going to have that trilogy.”

Ruiz then went on to reveal his hitlist, where he added Deontay Wilder’s name into the mix, keen for a big fight next, despite being winless since September 2022.

“I would love to fight Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua or [Deontay] Wilder. All of those big fights that we are supposed to make, I want to make ‘em now. Now, I am ready, I am hungry, I want a piece of that pie.”

News on Fury’s opponent is expected imminently, with another Albanian heavyweight believed to be in the running.

Verdict: “Old age has caught up with him” Frank Bruno doubles down on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua

23 years on from Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno’s famous ‘Battle of Britain’, the sport of boxing finds itself on the verge of a similar yet larger event, with domestic heavyweight rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua set to collide. Looking ahead to the proposed fight, Bruno has doubled down on his forecast for how the contest may play out.

Back in 1993, Frank Bruno came up short against Lewis, halted in round seven of what was a third unsuccessful challenge for the heavyweight crown. That Millennium Stadium event marked a first all-British scrap for the coveted throne, kickstarting an impressive run.

Since then, that number has extended to seven all-British heavyweight world title contests, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley going to war in the most recent, with the latter having since activated his rematch clause to tee up an eighth.

READ MORE :It’s Going to Cause Controversy: Tyson Fury’s Final Opponent

There will be no world title on the line when Fury and Joshua collide, but that won’t stop the main event becoming one of the biggest in the sport’s recent history

Both men are scheduled for ‘warm-up’ bouts before their meeting – Fury’s yet to be made official – as Joshua looks to build additional experience under newly appointed trainer, Iegor Golub, when he faces Kristian Prenga in July.

Speaking last month, Bruno praised the move, believing Joshua’s mindset will be the difference-maker come fight night, saying, “if he’s in the right frame of mind, then I don’t see him having a problem.”

Tyson Fury

Now, in an interview with iFL TV, Bruno has doubled down on that opinion, believing that ‘old age has caught up with Fury’ and that Joshua will capitalise if he is in the correct headspace.

“It will be a good fight, I think that it is definitely going to go on, but I think that old age is catching up with Tyson Fury. Even his Dad says that, [about his] old age. I hope that he does very, very well.

“He has got the survival skills you know, Tyson, but Joshua is a very good puncher – if he believes in himself. If he goes in there believing in himself, it is going to be a hard fight for Tyson.

“We need it, it is good for boxing.”

Joshua returns on  July 25 against Prenga, while Fury may take on an Albanian heavyweight of his own the following month. If both men come through, their own Battle of Britain is pencilled in for mid-November.

After We’ve waited nearly fifteen years to see Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury exchange blows in the ring, but we’re finally getting to see the giants collide this year.

Anthony Joshua: Dubbed the Battle of Britain, the boxing legends have both planned their year in accordance with the highly anticipated showdown, pushing the date down the line in a bid to come in hot.

And, although there are still some final hurdles to jump over to get the fight officially licensed, all fingers point to a winter wonderland bout.

The fight was confirmed by famed matchmaker Turki Alalshikh last month, following the head-to-head gob-off after Tyson’s first fight back from retirement.

With Fury in the ring, Joshua has also wanted to get some punches in before they clash, penning in Kristian Prenga as his next opponent.

READ MORE : Hearn: Anthony Joshua and world heavyweight champion

There’s also rumours that he could be facing Deontay Wilder before Fury too, making sure it’s two fights each this year (because we’re not counting that Jake Paul dance).

But all of this would need to be completed before the final months of the year, as Eddie Hearn cements ‘November’ as the Battle of Britain timeline.

Anthony Joshua

“For us, we were always told it was November. It’s definitely happening this year,” Hearn told SunSport. “But I do still expect the fight to take place in November.”

As for the location, that’s still up in the air.

“It’s where Turki Alalshikh tells us it’s happening. He pays the bills. But the UK makes sense to us,” Hearn added.

Both fighters seem keen to get in the ring and finally settle the score, but getting that contract signed has always been an issue for Hearn and Frank Warren.

But with both competitors ramping up their schedule to come into a fight in their peak physical condition (for fighters in their mid-to-late thirties), the signs are positive.

Tyson Fury isn’t stopping with Joshua, though, as he’s already eyeing a fourth blockbuster fight in his latest comeback arc, having one eye on a belt again.

Hearn: Anthony Joshua and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk III not out of the question’

Although Anthony Joshua and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk have become training partners, promoter Eddie Hearn has not ruled out the idea of the pair having a third fight, reports boxingscene.com.

Usyk holds two victories over Joshua, and on Saturday fights kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on a bill in Egypt that Hearn is promoting.

Joshua makes his return to the ring in July against unheralded Kristian Prenga ahead of what is believed to be the long-awaited all-English heavyweight fight with Tyson Fury later this year.

While Fury has said his ultimate goal is a third fight with Usyk, who also has two victories over him, is Fury the endgame for Joshua?
That is not the case, said Hearn.

“His (Joshua’s) endgame is to win the world heavyweight championship again,” Hearn said.

READ MORE : ‘I think he is a terrible boxer. I’ll knock him out like Anthony

“But definitely there are a couple of things that he wants to do. He wants to beat Tyson Fury, and he wants to win the world heavyweight championship again. So our plan right now is the plan that we can see that’s in front of us, which is Prenga and Tyson Fury. We’ve got to win those two fights. If he wins those two fights, he can walk into any fight, any championship that he wants. But we’ve got to win those fights.”

Anthony Joshua

Would Joshua’s friendship with Usyk prevent another fight with the brilliant Ukrainian southpaw?
“I don’t think so,” Hearn said. “But boxing’s a funny old game. Part of AJ would always love to fight Usyk because he’s been beaten twice. And the same with Fury. They’re competitors. They want to try and take him on again.”

Hearn said an announcement on Joshua’s Saudi Arabia undercard would come in due course and that a press conference would likely take place early in June.

RELATED NEWS : “We have to push for it” Gervonta Davis to be approached for

“But it’s going to be a very strong domestic undercard,” he said. Of course, it will be the first fight Joshua has had since the tragic car crash that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends. Joshua has not boxed since his December KO of Jake Paul in Miami.

Gervonta Davis“Everything that we’re seeing at the moment, his desire, his sparring, his training, looks great,” said Hearn. “But until you get in there, that’s when you’ve got to process everything that’s happened in your life and perform. I know everyone just presumes he’s going to walk in and smash Prenga to pieces, but I’ll be very pleased if he does, because there’s a lot of pressure going into this fight. Not just what’s coming after, but what he’s been through as well. And it’ll be a very emotional night.”

Former two-time world champion Shawn Porter has offered his expert opinion on Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s expected encounter later this year

Former two-time world champion Shawn Porter has offered his expert opinion on Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s expected encounter later this year.

The two heavyweights are set to finally square off, but only if ‘AJ’ comes through his warm-up fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25

This represents his first outing since scoring a sixth-round finish over Jake Paul in December, which followed his fifth-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

After his triumph over Paul, though, the 36-year-old was involved in a tragic car crash that took the lives of his two close friends.

Following that news, Joshua’s career suddenly seemed in serious doubt, yet he is now gearing up to enter the ring ahead of his long-awaited domestic dustup with Fury.

READ MORE : ‘I think he is a terrible boxer. I’ll knock him out like Anthony

‘The Gypsy King’ returned to action last month, unanimously outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov in his first fight since suffering a second points defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024.

But despite Fury’s lack of activity, Porter has told Froch On Fighting that he believes the 36-year-old is still fast and mentally-sharp enough to defeat his British rival.

“I think that Tyson’s fast enough; he’s still a good-enough boxer. I think he beats Anthony Joshua.

Anthony Joshua

“Anthony has never been the fundamentally-sound boxer that Tyson Fury has been. [He’s] a really good straight-up-and-down-one-two fighter that can hit you, and hit you hard.

“But the thing we’ve seen from him, especially recently, is, if he’s not tapped in mentally, he kind of falls apart as the fight goes on.

“Should Anthony [enter the Fury fight] really tapped in and ready to go, then I think it’s a great 12-round war.”

While the opponent, on paper, is well beneath his level, Joshua’s next outing should offer an indication as to what sort of state he is in, both mentally and physically.

Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk look on as Olympic gold medalist Oleksandr Khyzhniak delivers a first-round knockout in his pro debut

Anthony Joshua: The well-schooled Ukrainian enjoyed a decorated amateur career, culminating in gold medals at the World Championships, European Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

His credentials were on full display as he blew away Colombian journeyman Wilmer Baron (8-14-1) inside the opening stanza of a light heavyweight bout scheduled for six rounds in Lesniki, Ukraine.

Khyzhniak established his lead hand early and sent Baron tumbling to the canvas with a ram-rodding jab halfway through the round.

Baron made his way back to his feet, but Khyzhniak was all over him like a rash.

With 15 seconds left in the round, Khyzhniak landed a chopping right hand to close the show as Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk watched on with delight from ringside.

It was a successful night for Usyk, who staged his first professional boxing show since the Russian invasion of his homeland.

READ MORE :Anthony Joshua Plots July Return on the Horizon But No

His training partner, Daniel Lapin, also got a first-round finish in the main event against Latvia’s Kristaps Bulmeistars.

Joshua accompanied Usyk to the event after touching down in Ukraine earlier this week to start camp for his looming comeback fight.

At the back end of last year, AJ left Ben Davison to work with Iegor Golub and Team Usyk for his crossover clash with Jake Paul.

Joshua knocked out Paul in the sixth round and was expected to return to the ring in February.

Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn Shuts Down Shock Rumors: No Deal Signed for Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury Showdown!

promoter Eddie Hearn has moved to pour cold water on reports that a blockbuster heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been agreed, flatly contradicting claims made by respected boxing journalist Gareth A Davies that the all-British fight is signed and set for Netflix.

Davies had told talkSPORT that the contest was finalised in the background and backed by major financial interests, stating, “The Fury-Joshua fight is signed. Okay, it is signed in the background. I’ve got that on good authority. It’s with the big money people. It’ll be on Netflix.”

Hearn, however, was unequivocal in his rebuttal, telling The Stomping Ground that nothing of the sort was in place.

“There is absolutely nothing signed with Anthony Joshua to fight Tyson Fury next. There is nothing agreed,” he said.

READ MORE : ‘WITH FULL RESPECT’ Anthony Joshua’s family make feelings 

The promoter acknowledged that deep conversations had taken place about the fight before Joshua’s life was upended by the horror car crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on December 29, which claimed the lives of his friends, personal trainer Kevin Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami, just 10 days after the British-Nigerian boxer had stopped Jake Paul in six rounds in Miami.

“There have been conversations — deep conversations prior to the accident — that he was going to fight Jake Paul, then fight in February or March in Saudi Arabia, then fight Tyson Fury. Then obviously the accident happened.

Anthony Joshua

“There have been no conversations really about that fight, other than in the last few days, conversations about starting to think about revisiting the plan,” Hearn said.

Joshua has since resumed training and is working towards a summer comeback, with Dillian Whyte’s name circulating as a potential opponent for his return fight. Should he come through that unscathed, a Fury bout could follow later in the year.

Fury, meanwhile, makes his own ring return on April 11 when he faces knockout specialist Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a Netflix card that also features Conor Benn. The Gypsy King had announced his retirement from the sport over a year ago before reversing that decision.

£28,000: In an emotional surge of support, the former heavyweight champion’s autographed fight-worn shorts raised a staggering £28,000 for a homeless charity in Oxford, turning a piece of boxing history into a lifeline for those in desperate need.

Signed boxing shorts from former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua reportedly helped raise nearly £28,000 for a homeless charity in Oxford during a dedicated gala event.

Dorchester Living, the housebuilder behind Heyford Park near Bicester, raised £28,000 in support of Homeless Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire businesses, partners and supporters of Dorchester Living gathered for an evening focused on community engagement, entertainment and charitable giving.

Among the standout auction items were Joshua’s signed fight shorts, a brewery tour experience with Fuller’s Brewery and Reformer Pilates classes, alongside several other sought-after prizes.

Paul Silver, chief executive of Dorchester Living, highlighted the broader social objective behind the initiative.

“At Dorchester Living, we believe everyone deserves a safe, supportive place to call home,” he said.

READ MORE : Coach Speaks: He’s fighting who I want him to, Gervonta

“Supporting Homeless Oxfordshire’s ‘Her Way Home’ campaign is about more than raising funds; it is about helping to create spaces where women can feel secure, rebuild their confidence and shape a more positive future.

“The generosity shown at our charity gala reflects our commitment to making a lasting difference in the communities where we build.”

Gervonta Davis

 

Tim Wraith, Partnerships Fundraising Manager at Homeless Oxfordshire, also expressed appreciation for the support.

“We are extremely grateful to Dorchester Living and everyone who contributed on the night,” he said.

“The funds raised will make a meaningful difference to women supported through the ‘Her Way Home’ campaign, helping us provide safe accommodation and specialist support at a critical time in their lives.”