Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are a step closer to finally meeting in the ring after both men won their warm-up fights, though not without plenty of drama. Fury stopped 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in seven rounds in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday, while Joshua recovered from two early knockdowns to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round in Saudi Arabia.
The long-awaited heavyweight showdown between the two Britons remains on course, with contracts already agreed and reports suggesting purses of around $100million (£75m) each. But despite the wins and the commercial appeal, there are still several hurdles to clear before the fight can happen.
What happened in Fury’s warm-up fight?
Fury was first into the ring on Friday and comfortably beat Wach in a professional contest that felt more like a public sparring session than a genuine test. He was rarely troubled and even kissed Wach on the cheek during the fight.
The bout took place in front of about 1,500 fans, was not shown on television and instead was part of filming for the next series of Netflix show At Home with the Furys.
What happened in Joshua’s fight in Saudi Arabia?
Joshua’s night was very different. Facing little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga, he was expected to win comfortably in his comeback fight, but he was dropped after just 20 seconds and again in the opening round before producing a dramatic turnaround to stop Prenga in the second.
His win was emotional and came under extraordinary circumstances, with Joshua fighting for the first time since surviving the car crash in Nigeria that killed his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele. He struggled to speak during his post-fight interview, reflecting the emotional burden of the occasion.
Has the Fury-AJ fight been agreed?
Many expected Fury to fly straight from Thailand to Saudi Arabia for a face-off inside the ring after a Joshua win. Remarkably, the only time the two have ever shared a ring was during a sparring session at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in 2010.
After beating Wach, Fury said he would not travel to Jeddah and, despite rumours throughout Saturday, he kept his word. Reporters even briefly thought he had arrived when a Fury lookalike stepped out of a car outside the arena.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn insisted the fight will happen next.
“It's done. We signed a legally binding contract about three months ago,”
Matchroom’s Hearn said.
Netflix is expected to broadcast the fight globally to more than 325 million rs, but the biggest unanswered question remains when and where it will take place.
Where could the fight be staged?
New York’s Madison Square Garden in November is understood to be among the leading options as Saudi organisers look to maximise the event’s appeal in America.
British fans want the fight in the United Kingdom, specifically at Wembley Stadium. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has previously suggested that if the bout were staged in Britain, it would need to start in the early hours of the morning to suit the lucrative American television audience.
That would not be unprecedented. Ricky Hatton’s fight against Kostya Tszyu in Manchester in 2005 began at about 02:00 BST, while Joe Calzaghe’s victories over Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler also started after midnight.
Wembley Stadium has a curfew of 23:00, although London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Brent Council have indicated they would be open to discussions about extending it for a major sporting event. However, sources close to the mayor told on Friday that organisers had not been in touch.
Why does Joshua want Wembley?
Joshua and Fury have signed separate contracts with Alalshikh, who is financing the fight.
Hearn says their agreement is for the bout to take place in Britain.
“We insisted that this fight was in the UK,”
Hearn said.
“I know that AJ will sometimes want to be a little bit of a peacekeeper but the reality is he said to me, 'I want the fight in the UK. This is a British fight'. I can't agree more.
“We would have conversations but the only way the fight doesn't take place in England is if Anthony Joshua and myself agree to it because we have a legally binding contract.”
Joshua also made his preference clear after his win.
“I wouldn't expect it to be at Tottenham [Hotspur Stadium] or the [Cardiff] Principality Stadium, respectfully,”
“It's just got that history when you think of Wembley.”
Hearn says if Saudi organisers decide they want to stage the fight in America instead, Joshua’s contract would need to be renegotiated.
Is Fury v Joshua still a huge fight?
From a purist’s perspective, the fight comes years too late. Fans wanted Fury and Joshua to meet when both were world champions and at the peak of their powers rather than after years of negotiations, failed talks and defeats.
Other super-fights have also arrived later than many hoped, including Floyd Mayweather’s victory over Manny Pacquiao in 2015 and, closer to home, Amir Khan’s defeat by Kell Brook in 2022.
Commercially, though, Fury v Joshua remains enormous. 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 appearances on WWE, his trilogy with Deontay Wilder and his Netflix series.
Fury and Joshua are two of Britain’s biggest sporting personalities. For casual fans around the world, that alone is reason enough to tune in and to sell out any stadium or arena.
Who is the favourite to win?
Joshua’s comeback against Prenga was one of the bravest performances of his career, but it also exposed familiar vulnerabilities. Dropped twice by a heavyweight competing at world level for the first time, he somehow recovered to produce a dramatic stoppage victory.
The fight also came under extraordinary circumstances. Joshua was returning after the car crash in Nigeria that killed Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele, and his emotional state was clear after the fight.
His recent form raises questions. Since the end of 2023, Joshua has beaten Otto Wallin, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul and the unknown Prenga. The last time he faced a top-level opponent, he suffered a damaging knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois.
Fury has not looked untouchable either. Before comfortably beating Wach, he outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, but had previously lost back-to-back world title fights to Oleksandr Usyk. His split-decision win over Ngannou in 2023 also came after he was knocked down by the MMA star.
Perhaps the question is no longer who is the better heavyweight but who has declined the least.
Joshua still possesses knockout power, but Fury’s movement, ring IQ and adaptability make him the favourite.
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