Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua | NETFLIX - Winter 2026

[golden_labrador]

They are both "has been"s, but interesting fight anyways.

That’s a massive stretch.

Fury doesn't have the resume, but he definitely has the skills. His best wins are an older Klitschko and Wilder (which has aged poorly), but he had two very competitive fights with the best heavyweight and an all-time great.

AJ may not be as skilled, but he still has one of the best resumes in the division (a lot better than Furys).
He has only lost four fights, two of those against Usyk, and he dominated Ruiz in an immediate rematch.

helped that Ruiz turned himself into a blancmange for the rematch and could barely walk. But I'd pick AJ to beat Fury at this point.

[DavidPayne]

At this point predictions are difficult to substantiate either way. Any view is likely to be based on preceding preference and the flawed view of a fighter from their supposed prime that only exists in facsimile. It is hard to detach the 3-4-5-6 years ago version from the reality of now. It is the narrative that followed Mike Tyson for almost 20 years.

Both are old, both have lost large portions of what they had; be it reflex, resistance or self-belief. If the last thing to go truly is power.....then against a decade of previous posts....I'd lean toward Joshua. But i could change that view tomorrow.

[Sendo Takeshi]

Both of you are right.
However both are unranked in the top 10 now which kinda supports his point.
Maybe has beens is much said but def past it.

They are unranked because of inactivity.
Nobody can tell me that they actually believe AJ and Fury are worse than Murat fking Gassiev.

helped that Ruiz turned himself into a blancmange for the rematch and could barely walk. But I'd pick AJ to beat Fury at this point.

True. His fault for looking like sh!t though.
I'd probaly also bet on AJ, even though he definitely has to be a big underdog.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Frank~Warren reiterates Tyson Fury will knock out Anthony Joshua

Over a week has passed since Anthony Joshua stopped Jake Paul in the sixth round of their bizarre heavyweight fight in Miami.

A worldwide audience of around 33 million tuned in to Netflix to see the 36-year-old Londoner break Paul’s jaw and clear another hurdle between he and a belated but gigantic all-British clash with two-time heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury.

The fight is far from agreed and both men look certain to take interim fights before negotiations about dates, venues and — most importantly — purses can even begin.

It is believed that Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) will box again in February or March — legendary Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven has been touted as a potential opponent — whilst rumours persist that if Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) does end his retirement, he will do so against Canadian-based Russian, Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Fury’s long-time promoter, allegedly, didn’t need to see Joshua labour through five rounds with Paul to shore up his long-held conviction that The Ring's former heavyweight champion has the beating of the two-time unified champion but he is now more confident than ever that Fury, 37, will prove himself the better man in conclusive fashion.

“Tyson will knock him out,” Warren said during an appearance on Sky Sports’ Toe2Toe podcast. “I know he'll knock him out.

“I’ll base it on the fact that he's a big puncher. I'll base it on the fact that AJ is not hard to hit and that he's in with a boxer. He's in with a fighter, a proper fighter. A big fighter who's got a big punch, and who also has got a big chin. Tyson's got good recovery.

“You've seen it yourself. He’s been on the floor and when you think it's all over, he's got up and come back and won fights. He's done that.”

The fight with Paul was Joshua’s first since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of a dramatic IBF heavyweight title fight in September 2024 and Warren hasn’t seen anything to shake his belief that Fury will repeat the trick.

“AJ's vulnerable. I feel as confident about him fighting AJ as I did when Daniel Dubois fought him.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Anthony Joshua injured in car accident, two people dead

Anthony Joshua, the two-time world heavyweight champion, has been involved in a car crash that has killed two people, according to reports in Nigeria.

The Lexus Jeep, which was carrying Joshua, is said to have collided with a stationary truck along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibidan expressway in Makun, Ogun State, Punch newspaper has reported.

The story also included the Jeep’s registration number as well as a photograph of Joshua, sitting in the back seat surrounded by broken glass.

The 36-year-old, whose parents are Nigerian, is said to have sustained minor injuries while two others 'died on the spot.' The investigation to determine the cause of the crash is currently ongoing.

An eyewitness, named as Adeniyi Orojo, who was also described as ‘part of the rescue mission’ described the full horror of the collision.

Orojo told Punch: “It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV. Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him.

"There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed. His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.

"Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist. A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived. The passenger beside the driver and Joshua died on the spot."

[Sendo Takeshi]

FFS! Just like that he could be a goner.

Imagine making over 90 million for a fight and enjoying life, only to be involved in a car accident shortly after where half the passengers in your car die. It's crazy how life works sometimes.

I wonder what his relationship was with the two people who passed away. Either way, it must be a massive shock for him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Sendo Takeshi]

He looks more injured than described, but he could just be annoyed.

What are you doing in Nigeria? Enjoy your live in a pool in Dubai.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Nightmare Roy]

FFS! Just like that he could be a goner.

Imagine making over 90 million for a fight and enjoying life, only to be involved in a car accident shortly after where half the passengers in your car die. It's crazy how life works sometimes.

I wonder what his relationship was with the two people who passed away. Either way, it must be a massive shock for him.

One was his best friend the other was also a friend.

[Sendo Takeshi]

One was his best friend the other was also a friend.

Oh my... No wonder he looks so devasted.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tyson Fury: 'Me and Anthony Joshua is still the biggest fight in boxing'

Though Eddie Hearn last week cooled talk about Anthony Joshua’s return, Tyson Fury – readying for his own comeback on April 11 against Arslenbek Makhmudov – has yet again voiced his desire to face Joshua in an all-British showdown.

The pair came closest to sharing a ring in 2021 when a fight between them would have been for all four heavyweight belts. It was supposed to take place in Saudi Arabia, reporters were told a date had been set, only for Deontay Wilder to trigger his contractual right for a third bout with Fury.

Joshua pluckily opted for a fight against Oleksandr Usyk instead. He would lose on points, fall short in the rematch and, after four straight victories, endure a humbling stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in 2024. He returned in December, knocking out Jake Paul in six rounds, before he was involved in a fatal car crash that took the lives of two of his closest friends.

He has recently been seen in Ukraine, training with Usyk, in scenes that triggered plenty of speculation that a comeback, and an eventual bout with Fury, is in the works.

"Of course, if it's a fight to be made, let's get it done. Let me get Makhmudov out the way, and we're on," Fury told Sky Sports when asked about Joshua.

“The biggest fight for me in world boxing and the biggest fight in the world of boxing is me versus AJ. Even today, even after all these years it's still the biggest fight in boxing, it's still the biggest fight."

There is arguably as many hurdles in the way as there has always been, however. Victory for Fury, 37, over Makhmudov is not guaranteed nor is Joshua fighting again, full stop. Eddie Hearn last week told BS that Joshua is training but no conversations about an actual contest have taken place.

"Good to see the guy back in training camp,” Fury said. “He's obviously had a bit of a tough time lately and all that. So I'll just give him space and whatever he wants to do, he can do.

"The biggest fight for me in world boxing and the biggest fight in the world of boxing is me versus AJ.

"Even today, even after all these years it's still the biggest fight in boxing, it's still the biggest fight."

[joshj909]

It's much rather see these two past it near-retirees against each other than Fury get another shot at Usyk. Usyk's plan of Verhoeven, Dubois then Fury could be scuppered more easily than we think.

[Ruthless-RKO]

JOSHUA VS FURY NEXT?

Turki Alalshikh teases a potential mega-fight announcement

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Quite an interview with AJ on Netflix. In short, there is no deal, he is uncertain if he will have a warm up fight next or fight Fury next, and he is dealing with things in his life and touches on the car crash that injured him and killed two close friends. He said when it's signed, there is a fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tyson Fury dominated Arslanbek Makhmudov to set up a long-awaited Battle of Britain against Anthony Joshua.

"The Gypsy King" ended his 16-month retirement with this lopsided unanimous decision against his Russian visitor at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the main event of Netflix’s first ever live boxing broadcast on British soil.

Judges Kieran McCann and Lee Every both scored it a 120-108 shut-out but Reece Carter gave Makhmudov one of the rounds with a 119-109 scorecard.

Despite the dominance on the cards, this was not quite vintage Fury but there were glimpses of the heavyweight who has won two world titles over the course of his 18-year career.

He nullified some early Makhmudov pressure before assuming complete control of the fight, as "AJ" watched on from ringside, filming the entire thing on his phone.

Fury had ignored advice from many of his loved ones, including father John and wife Paris, who both implored the 37-year-old to stay retired. He will argue that, on this evidence, he still has plenty to offer the division.

First, that looks likely to be a late-summer showdown with Joshua. There is still work to be done on the small print of the contract but the headline is simple: 2026 will be the year that Fury and Joshua finally fight.

Fury said: “I wanted to get Arslanbek Makhmudov out of the way but next I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want - the Battle of Britain.

“It has been 10 years in the making, let’s dance.”

Then, after addressing Joshua, the 6ft 9in heavyweight launched into a rendition of ‘There’s Only One Ricky Hatton”.

Despite his allegiance to Manchester United Fury was decked out in the sky blue of City in homage to his great friend Ricky Hatton. Fury had known the Hitman nearly his whole life, the Hitman had also been an integral part of his team in recent years. Fury was front and centre at his funeral in Manchester on October 10.

Given Fury’s retirement, this was first outing since that day and he was insistent on marking the occasion in his own way. With ‘Hitman’ written on his robe and "RIP Ricky" on his shorts, an emotional Fury began his ring walk to Hatton’s famous song, "Blue Moon."

Once he had emerged onto stage, there was a full firework and pyrotechnic show as the packed out crowd inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium greeted Fury back for his first outing on British soil for 30 months. That had taken place in this very stadium when he successfully defended his WBC heavyweight crown against Derek Chisora.

That belt is long gone now, taken by Oleksandr Usyk in the first of their fights in May 2024 and then defended in their rematch seven months later. Those two defeats had send Fury into retirement for the fifth time and, at that point, he insisted he would never be back.

Now, 16 months on, all those who rubbished that suggestion were vindicated. “I missed the circus,” he said this week.

Makhmudov, meanwhile, was in no mood to play up to his role as sideshow. Dressed in a plain cotton hoodie, he did not even bother with a ring walk song, instead choosing to make his way through the crowd to the sound of an air-raid siren.

With 10 seconds he had launched his first right hand, and it wasn’t far off. Next it was a left hook from the Russian but fury, in southpaw, moved backwards to evade it. The pattern of the first round continued as such, with Makhmudov moving forward, jabbing to Fury’s chest and then attempting to land with an overhand right. Another one whistled past Fury’s chin with 30 seconds left of what was an encouraging first round for the visitor.

The second started in much the same manner but Fury was having more success catching Makhmudov on the way in. But, by the end of the round, the Gypsy King was the one holding centre ring and leading the attacks. Makhmudov sucked in air heavily as the bell rang.

After back-to-back chess matches with Usyk, this was developing into a shootout more akin to Fury’s trilogy with Wilder. Fury, knocked down in two of those three fights, forged his reputation for toughness against Wilder and he was showing the same signs here.

Fury landed with a right hand as the fourth round began but Makhmudov responded immediately with a left hook. By now the Russian seemed to be bothered by a nose injury and looked tired as Fury started to pick him apart with the jab.

After such early impetus, the father-of-three from Dagestan looked short on ideas and his pace has slowed completely. What’s more, Fury seemed to have the measure of him and was even dominating on the inside against a man who famously once wrestled a bear.

A week after he was slammed by Deontay Wilder for his role in the fight against Derek Chisora across town at the O2, referee Mark Bates was back in charge. This time, he handled the two big men well in their regular clinches.

Makhmudov, an architect of 17 knockouts inside the first three rounds, was fading quickly and Fury, switching between stances, was starting to put on a clinic. Even Joshua was filming the fight but his camera would have captured Makhmudov reminding Fury of his power midway through the seventh.

Even so, Fury began to turn the screw in the seventh, despite shipping a right hand. He drew cheers from the crowd as he crashed home a check left hook and then turned Makhmudov on the ropes and landed with at the right. Then, in the ninth, a left uppercut from Fury knocked his opponent’s gum shield out. It was out again in the 10th as the third Makhmudov began to unravel.

None of his 19 career stoppages had come any later than the seventh round and any hope of finding one by the 10th looked to have been completely extinguished by Fury. With the fight in the bag, he began to turn the screw in the 12th, although many of the fans had started to leave by then. They knew, as did Fury, the job was done and the circus was back.

Now it will crank into overdrive as Fury and Joshua approach a real fight 16 years after they sparred back at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club.

CompuBox stats: Fury dominated from start to finish, averaging 17 landed punches per round to Makhmudov's 5 — who never landed more than 8 in any single round. Fury connected on 46% of his power punches, 60% of which targeted the body, while Makhmudov managed just 22%. The judges were unanimous: 120-108 twice and 119-109, all for Fury.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

ANTHONY JOSHUA SAYS TYSON FURY 'MORE THAN LIKELY NEXT'

The long-awaited British heavyweight grudge match is almost there, but not quite yet.

Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) on Thursday declared he was the division's money man and after emerging unscathed with a lopsided decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov, openly called for Anthony Joshua to finally fight him next.

Midway through the night's action, Turki Alalshikh hinted an imminent announcement following the main event.

"Today we have a big surprise, I hope that we are going to announce the biggest fight in the history of England."

While the execution was far from faultless, you couldn't doubt the intent. During the post-fight presser, Fury's manager Spencer Brown stressed his confidence they would broker a deal sometime this year and said September would be the "perfect" month before pointing towards waiting for Joshua, claiming Fury had already signed.

Joshua (29-4, 25 KOs) has often doubled down on making the all-British grudge match happen and now being proactive, having publicly called Fury out at last year's Ring awards and after knocking out Jake Paul on Dec. 19.

Some reports suggest Wembley Stadium is the frontrunner for a spectacle of this magnitude, two former British world champions finally meeting in the ring after years of jawing outside it as sworn rivals.

Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, spoke of being in 'active negotiations' to broker the fight sometime this year but wanted an interim bout first and told reporters in New York this past week Deontay Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) was an option after his grueling split decision win over retiring Derek Chisora last weekend.

They believe a deal could be agreed after original plans for each to have a warm-up fight were iced after Joshua was injured in a car accident in Nigeria, tragically killing two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

The 37-year-old returned to training recently, embracing some newfound camaradarie with Ring and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, who outpointed him to claim the throne in 2021 before defending it 12 months later.

Dublin's 80,000-seat stadium Croke Park has also been discussed as a potential landing spot later this year. It's where retiring two-weight undisputed world champion Katie Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs) wants to end her illustrious career and the stadium's chief executive Peter McKenna told BBC Sport this week they're hopeful it can be made.

"The real hope is that we will get Fury here later in the year, such a world-billing event that we would be able to facilitate a Katie Taylor fight here. A lot of stars need to align," he said before highlighting the obvious, that their teams' management and promoters had to agree terms. If that is the case, Joshua wouldn't have an interim bout.

On the Netflix broadcast, he told Anna Woolhouse: "I'm going to be completely honest. There's a negotiation to go through. I've sat at this table many times, not here to chase clout. Contracts will be sent over and I'll more than likely be in the ring with him next.

"He's the one that retired. I've been in the game for 13 years, never retired. I make the big fights, that's what I said to him. He works for me. That could be a warm-up fight after what I saw tonight."

"I'm not ducking no one. I know what my job is, there's just real things going on in my life. I run the game, I'm a serious fighter and very strong as well. When I hit Fury I'm gonna hurt him bad. I have to [take a minute and do what's best for me]. I'm sorting some things out for my brothers and their family.

"I've been here a million times with him before. If I'm honest with you right now, until we're in the ring there is no fight with him. I've been here three or four times before with Wilder and Fury."

Sure he blitzed Paul after a 15-month layoff in their lucrative December mismatch, but Joshua hasn't boxed a world-ranked heavyweight since a damaging fifth-round stoppage defeat by Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

Should the former two-time unified heavyweight champion decide to take a warm-up fight prior as Matchroom have maintained is their wish, the event would be targeted for year's end and presumably on British shores.

Talks have persistently broken down previously, whether through extortionate fight purse demands, broadcaster disputes, boxing politics or even a Wilder-shaped arbitration case that went to court in 2020. However in the last three years, several must-see fights have finally come to fruition and this one edges closer to a conclusion.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tyson Fury calls out Anthony Joshua, who doesn’t quite say ‘Yes’

Everyone knew this callout was coming — that Tyson Fury, after defeating Arslanbek Makhmudov, would call for a clash with fellow former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Everyone knew this well before Fury actually stepped into the ring with Makhmudov. They knew it before boxing financier Turki Alalshikh, earlier on during Netflix’s broadcast of Fury-Makhmudov, teased that he would be announcing the biggest fight in the history of British boxing.

Everyone knew it back when Fury first announced his comeback at the start of January, returning after retiring in 2025 following his two defeats the previous year to Oleksandr Usyk.

The plan at the time was for both men to take setup bouts. For Joshua, that was originally going to be against kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven. But Joshua was in a car crash in December, weeks after his knockout of Jake Paul, a tragic incident that killed two of Joshua’s close friends. Any conversations about what was next for “AJ” understandably needed to be tabled.

Usyk signed to face Verhoeven instead. Fury still proceeded with his return, headlining in a lucrative main event and nearly shutting out Makhmudov on the scorecards at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Joshua sat ringside, watching intently.

After being announced as the victor, Fury looked down over the ropes, and he and Joshua shook hands. Fury invited Joshua into the ring and AJ declined, saying “It’s your night”.

Soon, an in-ring interviewer asked Alalshikh about his announcement.

“It is the time,” Alalshikh said, calling for promoters allegedly of Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom.

“Tyson, he’s the next,” Alalshikh said, pointing to Joshua.

Fury soon had the microphone. He thanked people and then quickly transitioned to that inevitable callout.

“Sixteen-month layoff and we fill up Tottenham again,” Fury said. “But like I said, let me get Arslanbek Makhmudov out of the way and we’ll talk next. Next I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want. The Battle of Britain. And here’s my challenge. I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me, The Gypsy King, next. Do you accept my challenge?”

Joshua just looked ahead.

Alalshikh was asked again about whether the fight would happen.

“It is not my call,” he said. “It is his call.”

Joshua still looked ahead. And then he was handed a microphone.

“Tyson, you’re a clout-chaser,” Joshua said from his ringside seat. “Tyson, I’ve never had no problem getting in the ring with you. I punched you up when we were kids, and after watching you here tonight, I’ll punch you up again.

“With all due respect, tonight is your night, and you know I’ll [be] across the ring from you in due time. You ain’t going to tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years. When you’re ready, you come and see me and you tell me your terms and conditions, and I’ll have you in the ring when I’m ready. I’m the boss. You work for me. I’m the landlord. Remember that. You work for me.”

The microphone was sent back in the ring to Fury.

“Listen, let’s give the fight fans what they want,” Fury said. “Ten years in the making, let’s fornicating dance.”

A few minutes later, Joshua was standing in the ring with an interviewer, explaining why he wasn’t immediately saying yes to the match.

“I’m going to be completely honest: there’s a negotiation that you go through,” he said. “I’ve sat at this table with him many times. In my heart, I’ll fight Tyson Fury tomorrow, especially after watching that. There’s no problem with me fighting. This is what I do. I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight him’. I’m not here to get clout amid the fight.

“Contracts will be sent over. We'll go through the nitty-gritty, and you’ll probably see us in the ring next, more than likely. But I’m not here to start getting in the ring and shouting in someone’s face. If you look at my track record, I’ve never done that. I’m not here for clout. I watched the fight. I saw what I saw, and I know what I got to do when I get him in the ring.”

The Netflix interviewer mentioned that this potential fight between the two huge heavyweights has been sought for years.

“Exactly,” Joshua said. “Look, he’s the one that retired. I’ve been in the game. I’ve never retired. I've been standing strong for the last 13 years. It’s on him. He disappears, comes back, disappears, comes back. I’m standing strong. That’s why I’m not here to chase fame or chase hype. I’m a real person. I’ll fight whoever’s in front of me, whether it’s him or the next person. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m always in big fights. It’s just my style. I make the big fights. That’s why I said he works for me.”

Joshua was asked whether he would seek a tune-up bout before taking on Fury.

“Good question. [...] We’ll see,” Joshua said. “I was just in a serious incident, maybe four months [ago], so I need to really check out what’s going on with my return to the ring. But I’m here. I’m keeping my eye in the game. There’s real stuff happening in my life.

“I’m not knocking no one. I know what my job is. I know what I’m here to do. There’s just real stuff happening in my life that I was going to attend to. And once I’m 100 per cent, I’ll be ready. This is what I do. I run the game. Everybody knows I run the game. I’m a serious fighter, and I’m very strong as well. I think that when I hit Fury, I’ll hurt him bad.”

But the aftermath of the tragedy still is his main focus.

“I’m sorting some things out,” Joshua said. “My brothers [Joshua’s friends], with their parents and the brotherhood, are taking care of things at the minute. I got to put that first. That's my priority at the moment. Tyson Fury, if he’s serious, you’ll see me in the ring. The ball will be in his court.

“I’ve been there a million times. Once my name and signature is on the dotted line, then it’s a fight. At the minute there’s nothing on the dotted line. Neither is his. If I'm going to be honest with you, there’s no fight right now until our names are signed. Until that first bell rings, there’s no fight.

“I’ve been here three, four times [in negotiations] with [Deontay] Wilder and Fury. This is boring to me. For the guys at home, it’s exciting. I’ve been here loads of times. But it’s no problem. I like his fighting style. I think he’s good but I don’t think he’ll be able to cover me. It’ll be hard work for him.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fury threatens retirement again if Joshua avoids fighting him now

With the ink on his contract to fight Anthony Joshua dry, Tyson Fury declared he will return to retirement if the all-British megafight does not happen next.

Fury ended his most recent ring hiatus on Saturday night when he widely outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov in the main event of The Ring card at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

 The clash, which Fury won via 120-108 shutout on two of the judges’ scorecards, was perhaps most notable for what happened afterwards. 
“I want to give the fans the fight you have all been waiting for,” he said. “I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fans what they want, the Battle of Britain. Do you accept?”



But Joshua refused to engage, or even stand up from his seat, much less enter the ring for the sort of face-off which would have sent world boxing into a frenzy. Then, to further add to the sense of a missed opportunity, Joshua’s microphone was not audible for the 60,000 inside the stadium, many of whom booed.

 “You all saw what happened there,” Fury said an hour later at his press conference. “I've never mentioned Anthony Joshua in the whole build-up since his accident, gave him the respect he deserves and space, but tonight he came here for the job.

“I asked him to do the fight, he should've gone in there and did it, but in my opinion he didn't want no smoke. Didn't want it, looked shell shocked, didn't know what to say. Came ringside to make the fight and, yeah, if it was me I would've jumped in the ring.

 “This has been 10 years in the making and still, after all this time, there's uncertainty about if this fight's going to happen next.”



But Fury insists that, for his part, the agreement is done and dusted and his side of the deal is already signed. There is no purse split to get in the way as both fighters will agree to a financial figure that suits them instead of sharing a pot.

“I’ve signed, done,” he says. “I’m not interested in the money. I’ve got more money than anyone can spend in this room. Does it really matter?”

In an ideal world, Fury and his manager Spencer Brown envisage the fight with Joshua taking place in September with Wembley Stadium representing the most obvious venue for arguably the biggest fight in British boxing history to take place.

 However, with Joshua still contemplating a warm-up fight before stepping into the ring to face Fury, the five months until September don't represent a particularly long time.

Aside from his six-round knockout of YouTuber Jake Paul in December, Joshua has not fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September 2024. Joshua's life was rocked on Dec. 29 when he was in an automobile accident in Nigeria that caused the deaths of close friends Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele.

Joshua has confirmed he will fight on in their honor, but he has intimated that he needs a bit more time to get himself ready for a clash of that magnitude with Fury. A low-level run-out in the interim is required.

“It’s just another stumbling block," Fury said. "This has been 10 years in the making, what’s the hold up? He’s come off a win [vs. Paul], knocked a man spark out and broke his jaw, I’ve just come off a fight, let’s get it on. He’s 36, I’m 37, why keep postponing?

The problem is, taking interim fights you can get chinned by anybody. It's not like we're two flyweights and that much better than everyone else, even a journeyman can knock a good man out because they have power.”

Fury says he signed a deal to fight three times this year, starting with Makhmudov, but in a bid to force the issue, the Gypsy King now says he is not interested in the second outing being against anybody but Joshua.

“Here's the thing: If it ain't Anthony Joshua next, I'm not interested in boxing. I'll eat a thousand Easter eggs, go up to 35 stone [490 pounds], I'm out and not interested.

“Not up-and-comers or someone trying to prove a point over me, don't care. Don't care about rankings, belts, only AJ. That is the defining fight for British boxing. It's either going to happen or it's not.”

When asked whether he is happy to give him more time to decide his next move given what happened in that car crash in Lagos, Fury replied: “He's had his problems, we all have. I've attempted to kill myself before, been through it, one step out of mental institution. We all have problems. That's life unfortunately.

"If you're in this game, you're either a boxer or not.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Darren Stanton, Body Language Expert: “Anthony Joshua’s reaction is really interesting, especially when you compare him to his own past behavior and how he presented earlier in his career.

“Joshua has changed quite a lot. He used to be regarded as being really humble, at least for a fighter, and then there was a tipping point where his ego came to the fore and some regarded him as becoming arrogant.

“The first thing I notice in his reaction to Tyson Fury is his posture. If you look at the way he’s sitting, he’s slouched back in the seat. His legs are wide apart. This is something that world leaders do.

“The more space that we occupy denotes how confident they feel, and how important they are, and that’s what Joshua is trying to tap into. He’s trying to make himself look bigger. That’s related to ego and I think it’s clear that ultimately Joshua has got a massive ego.

“He’s slouched back in the seat, his legs are open, he’s where his hands are positioned, it’s intended to project a sort of arrogance, but what is interesting is how he betrays his own body language too.

“His head was tucked right in. His chin was tucked right in. If this was a genuine feeling of supreme confidence, we’d see him sitting up more. We’d see him raising his chin up with a chin thrust, which is what Tyson does.

“Joshua is nowhere near as confident as he wants us to think he is. We see him pivot quite a lot in his seat too. That isn’t congruent with someone who feels supreme confidence either.

“I actually think from seeing this that Joshua is quite intimidated by Tyson. I don’t think he backs himself against him. It certainly wouldn’t be a walk in the park for Joshua and he knows it.

“So there are a number of key things we see to suggest he is trying to broadcast this cocky sort of bravado but it’s all contradicted by his head position, his twitchiness, and that’s not consistent with somebody who is truly confident.

“He just basically didn’t give a yes, which is what people wanted to hear. He sort of skated around it and if you notice his blink rate, if you watch it again, his blink rate when he’s saying his piece, his blink rate increases, which is linked to a change in emotion, and not in a good way.

“I don’t think Joshua was comfortable at all at that moment.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tyson Fury 'not interested' in boxing if Anthony Joshua isn't next

Tyson Fury said if he doesn't get to fight Anthony Joshua next he has no interest in continuing boxing.

Fury marked his return to the ring with a unanimous win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, boxing well and shaking off the ring rust after a 16-month hiatus.

Having already said earlier in the week he wanted to face Joshua next, Fury doubled down and emphatically called out his British rival.

Joshua didn't commit to the fight and refused to get in the ring with Fury, who made it clear he only wants to face Joshua next.

"Let's get the fight on. Here's the thing. If it ain't Anthony Joshua next, I'm not interested in boxing," Fury told his post-fight news conference.

"I'll eat a thousand Easter eggs go up to 35 stone. I'm out. I'm not interested. It's either him or I'm gone again.

"I'm not interested in up-and-comers, someone trying to prove a point over me, I don't care. I don't care about rankings. I don't care about belts. I only care now about AJ. That's the defining fight for British boxing."

A fight between the two former two-time heavyweight champions has been on-and-off for the best part of a decade.

However, negotiations have always fallen through, despite coming close to a 2021 bout -- a matchup that would have been for the undisputed title.

Promoter allegedly said Fury had signed and agreed to take the fight while his manager, Spencer Brown, said he believes the fight will "100% happen this year."

There was no indication where the fight would be held, with London's Wembley Stadium and Croke Park in Dublin floated as potential venues.

Despite Joshua's denial that the fight was definitely on, Netflix posted on social media that it would take place this autumn.

Joshua refused to engage in Fury's post-fight call out, instead remaining straight-faced and in his seat rather than getting in the ring.

"I'm going to be completely honest, there's a negotiation that you go through. I've sat at this table with him many times," Joshua said on Netflix.

"In my heart, I'll fight Tyson Fury tomorrow, especially after watching [this fight]. I'm not going to sit here and say: 'Yeah, I'll fight him.' I'm not here to get clout. I'm here to fight. Contracts will be sent over. We'll go through the nitty gritty and you'll probably see us in the ring next, more than likely."

Joshua said a fight in the interim is an option and he will need time to consider his next steps after being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends.

"I was just in a serious incident maybe four months ago," Joshua said. "So, I need to really check out what's going on with my return to the ring. But I'm here. I'm keeping my eye in the game. There's real stuff happening in my life. I'm not ducking no one.

"I know what my job is. I know what I'm here to do, but there's just real stuff happening in my life that I also got to attend to."

[Ruthless-RKO]