Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua to finally fight in blockbuster showdown in 2026

Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua to finally fight in blockbuster showdown in 2026

Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua to fight in a blockbuster showdown in 2026, according to new reports.A lucrative all-British clash between the two former two-time world heavyweight champions has repeatedly been mooted over the years but never come to fruition despite no shortage of talks, rumours and negotiations.
However, it has now been now report that Fury vs Joshua will headline a Riyadh Season ‘mega-event’ next year at a date and location to be confirmed.
The Ring Magazine, owned by head of Riyadh Season, Turki Alalshikh, confirmed overnight: “Sources have advised The Ring that a highly anticipated showdown between former heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will headline a Riyadh Season mega-event in 2026.”
“Before that collision happens, The Ring has also learned that Fury and Joshua are slated to see action in separate fights as part of next year’s Riyadh Season.”
Such a plan would require Fury to formally end his latest retirement from boxing, which he announced back in January just weeks after failing to avenge his first defeat by Oleksandr Usyk in a high-profile title rematch in Riyadh.
He has repeatedly hinted at making another comeback over recent months, most notably writing on social media: “The king must return to his throne.
“There is a long & lonely road that only I can walk on, but after the long & hard battles awaits immortality!”
Joshua, meanwhile, is set to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a money-spinning eight-round, fully-sanctioned professional heavyweight contest on Netflix in Miami on Friday night in his first fight since being brutally knocked out in the fifth round by British rival Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024 as his own attempts at becoming a three-time world champion proved unsuccessful.
He stepped in at late notice to replace lightweight world champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, having seen his latest comeback delayed by a lingering elbow injury that required surgery.
Paul’s mammoth offer saw Joshua dramatically change course, with promoter Eddie Hearn later revealing that he had initially agreed to fight American heavyweight Cassius Chaney in a low-key eight-rounder on the ‘Ring IV: Night of the Champions’ card in Riyadh on November 22.
A date in September 2026 has been seen as the most likely for Fury vs Joshua after Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh recently teased that “one of the greatest fights in the history of boxing” would take place in London during that month.
He also confirmed ahead of last month’s rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that Joshua would fight in Saudi Arabia in February, for the first time since his early knockout of MMA star Francis Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena back in March 2024.
Despite neither man now possessing any world titles and a fight coming beyond the peak years of both, Fury vs Joshua is still widely seen as one of the biggest fights to be made anywhere in boxing.