It is being reported that the long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could take place in September, at Dublin, Ireland’s Croke Park. Frank Smith, CEO of Joshua's long-term promoters Matchroom Boxing, has confirmed to BoxingScene that a deal is not in place, however.
Fury and Joshua have been linked to a showdown for many years. It was at its most likely in 2021, when the heavyweights held all four sanctioning body titles between them. But Fury's contracted third fight with Deontay Wilder sent both in different directions.
Now, as ex-champions with their careers seemingly winding down, both Fury and Joshua have expressed their willingness to at last fight this year.
Fury, 37, is currently preparing for his comeback bout on Saturday against Arslanbek Makhmudov, a fight that marks his first action since consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. Joshua, who knocked out the overmatched Jake Paul in December, is back in training after he sustained injuries in car crash that killed two of his closest friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
It has widely been reported that Joshua, 36, wants a tune-up bout before engaging in a battle as significant as a Fury showdown.
“I don’t think [Joshua] should have [a tune-up] bout,” Fury this week told Sky Sports. “I think we should get this fight on as soon as possible, in case something happens in between.
“So many times that fight was supposed to happen over the last 10 years… Something goes wrong or injured or whatever.”
Another elusive rival for Joshua has been Wilder. The American huffed and puffed his way past Derek Chisora on Saturday night, reigniting old talk about a Joshua showdown.
“Forget Wilder, the man’s a shell of himself,” Fury observed. “Let me get through Saturday night and we’ll do the fight this year. I can’t say fairer than that. Forget about everybody else.”
Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom Boxing, said “No, nothing done,” when asked via text message if there was any truth to the latest reports regarding a Joshua-Fury showdown. He did not deny that talks are taking place, however.
