Anthony Joshua Locks in Two Fights for 2026, Including Massive Tyson Fury Match

Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua is finally a done deal, again.

Although announcements for the long-awaited matchup have fooled boxing fans before, his Excellency Turki Alalshikh has gotten Fury and Joshua to sign a bout agreement for the biggest fight in modern heavyweight history, Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine reported. The two British stars will finally meet in the ring in late 2026, Coppinger announced on X.

"The big one is finally happening. Tyson Fury [versus] Anthony Joshua," Coppinger said. "I'm told it will be the fourth quarter of this year. Ring Magazine show on Netflix. It's going to be the biggest fight in British history."

Breaking news! Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua is a done deal, I’m told, for the fourth quarter of this year, @ringmagazine show on Netflix! Biggest fight in UK history. And like so many other major fights, it’s happening because of @Turki_alalshikh. Canelo-Crawford, Beterbiev-Bivol,… pic.twitter.com/6eshN6QG7w
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) April 27, 2026

The fight was supposed to happen on multiple occasions, most recently when Ring Magazine announced it in late 2025. Joshua went on to fight and beat Jake Paul shortly after that announcement, before a tragic car accident put his career in jeopardy.

Fury, who was retired at the time, planned to return against Joshua after taking a tune-up fight. He made his return with a decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 and wasted no time calling out Joshua, who was sitting ring-side in the immediate aftermath.

Fury not only called out Joshua, but said he would not be fighting anyone else next. 'The Gypsy King' claimed he no longer cares about belts or rankings and would only come back for another fight camp to settle the score with Joshua, or else he would go back into retirement.

Now, it appears the matchup is once again official, but it will be Joshua taking another fight before facing Fury.

Anthony Joshua announces first fight of 2026 before Tyson Fury bout

Within minutes of the Ring Magazine announcement, 'AJ' confirmed he will return to the ring against 17-1 Kristian Prenga on July 25.

The fight will be Joshua's third in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and headline a fight card on DAZN.

Prenga is not ranked by any of the five major organizations. The 35-year-old Albanian is riding a 13-fight win streak, most recently beating Juan Torres by second-round TKO in January.

The fight will be Joshua's first against a legitimate heavyweight opponent since his brutal knockout loss to Daniel Dubois for the IBF title in September 2024. He took over a full year off after that loss before stepping in on short notice to face Paul in one of the most-watched fights in recent history.

Add us as a preferred source on Google