Former world heavyweight boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed a long-awaited deal for a fight later this year, promoter Eddie Hearn told xrust on Monday.
“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ vs Fury will happen!” Hearn wrote on Instagram.
This statement comes after confirmation that Joshua will return to the ring on July 25 in Riyadh, where he will meet Christian Prenga. It will be the Briton's first fight since a car accident last December that killed two of his close friends.
Prenga, a 35-year-old Albanian living in the United States, is a former kickboxer with a record of 20 wins and one loss since starting his professional career in 2016.
The fight, dubbed «The Return», was announced by Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshih and will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.
Turki also posted on X: “To my friends in the UK — this is going to happen. Signed,” and his Ring Magazine reported that the fight will take place in the fourth quarter of 2026 on Netflix.
KNOCKOUT IN THE SIXTH ROUND
36-year-old Joshua has 28 wins and 4 losses, with his last fight ending in a sixth-round knockout over American Jake Paul on December 19 in Miami.
“It’s no secret that I’ve needed time to recover and prepare to return to the ring, and today is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said. “I am pleased that we have agreed on a multi-match contract that will begin on July 25 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I'm looking forward to performing and picking up where I left off. The landlord will receive the rent. That's for sure».
Hearn told Sky Sports he wants a «warm-up fight» in July before possibly facing Fury in November.
“We were given two dates: July and November, and we expect the fight to take place,” he said. “Fury just had his warm-up fight, fighting 12 really important rounds to prepare for the next fight, and I expect us to do the same.”
Fury called for a fight with Joshua after he outclassed Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
On the news https://www.reuters.com/
Xrust Joshua will give free rein to his fists in Riyadh, so that after this how Fury's sides should be crushed
