BoxRec

Shame the Dua Lipa fight fell through. Will Jake Paul get a replacement opponent?

After seeing the Inoue Vs Nakatani card, I think that this card should be an all British card.

Joshua Vs Fury
Dubois Vs Itauma
Riakporhe Vs Okolie
Dalton Smith Vs Azim
Buatsi Vs Yarde
Ball Vs Davies
Kelly Vs Benn
Catterall Vs Crocker
Whittaker Vs Hutchinson

There are plenty of fights and if Turki wants to make the most memorable British card of a generation, something like that would do it.

joshj909 wrote: ↑02 May 2026, 08:03 After seeing the Inoue Vs Nakatani card, I think that this card should be an all British card.

Joshua Vs Fury
Dubois Vs Itauma
Riakporhe Vs Okolie
Dalton Smith Vs Azim
Buatsi Vs Yarde
Ball Vs Davies
Kelly Vs Benn
Catterall Vs Crocker
Whittaker Vs Hutchinson

There are plenty of fights and if Turki wants to make the most memorable British card of a generation, something like that would do it.

Would be brilliant but no chance

‘It is going to stop the country’: Eddie Hearn looks forward to Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury will be the biggest fight in British boxing history.



Check out some excerpts of what he had to say below.

Hearn on Joshua vs Fury being set for later this year
“I was always convinced we’d get there. I can’t tell you I thought we’d take this long. But just really pleased. I mean, obviously we have to take care of business in July, which we expect to do, and you’re just going to see the biggest fight in boxing. It still makes me laugh people say ‘well, I’m just not that interested in it’ — it’s like, shut up! It is going to be huge. It is going to stop the country, it’s going to stop the boxing and sporting world by the time this comes around.

“And, again, ‘I’m not interested in it anymore’ — shut up. Trust me, you’ll be interested in this. Both guys will be firing for this and it’ll be a megafight and it’s a delight to get it over the line. Can’t wait.

“AJ’s in a great place. He’s really excited, he’s training hard. He’s got a real clear schedule now, from now ‘til end of the year and I think it’s a good road map to push into 2027 and try to fight for a world heavyweight championship, because that’s what he wants.”

On who chose Kristian Prenga as AJ’s next opponent
“No one really wanted [AJ] to fight a 50/50 fight for many reasons. Number one, because he’s coming back from injury and that incident. And two, I don’t think Turki Alalshikh really wanted him to be in that kind of fight given what’s at stake for the Tyson Fury fight. So we wanted someone who’s game, who would cause a little bit of a threat. I don’t think Pregna’s an elite heavyweight but he’s a decent heavyweight, got a massive knockout percentage record, he’ll be coming to win.

“So we got to do a job on him. And if you don’t do a job on someone like Prenga, you’re not going to be beating Tyson Fury. And that’s the aim, to go out there and do a job on Pregna and get the momentum to go back into another camp to beat Tyson Fury.”

On if he knows where AJ vs Fury will take place for certain
“No. We kind of left our meetings with the understanding that Wembley would be the place. And Wembley should be the place. But also, availability is not always perfect. But that’s down to the man paying the bills, and that’s Turki Alalshikh for this one. So we signed up for a contract which basically says ‘it is where it is.’ But I know Turki will want to bring this fight to the UK because it’s that historic, and obviously he’ll be tremendously thanked for that, and hopefully that’s where it will be.”

On how much bigger AJ vs Fury is compared to other British events like Eubank Jr vs Benn and Froch vs Groves
“10x bigger. By a mile. Tell me a bigger fight in UK history than Fury vs AJ? You’re talking about two generational — arguably #1 and #2 in terms of biggest names in the sport, certainly the biggest names in British boxing and have been for years and years. It is absolutely monstrous. Everybody in the country knows who AJ and Fury are, every kid, every grandma, every auntie, every uncle. It’s just a massive, massive event.”

Duke McKenzie MBE is well aware that both men are past their best, telling TalkSPORT Boxing that it may not be the best fight in the division, but that it still features two of the biggest names in the division.



The former three-weight world champion then predicted an Anthony Joshua knockout.

“This isn’t the Tyson Fury of old, this is an old Tyson Fury now … Joshua’s not the fighter that he once was. So what we’ve got now is two ex champions … But I do feel that Joshua has got just enough in the tank, because the last thing you lose as a fighter is a punch.”

“Tyson is a real fighter and he does pose a real threat to Anthony Joshua, but I don’t see Fury being able to do what he used to do. Given the fact that Joshua is a big man mountain, he’s not a little slim frame like Deontay Wilder. [Tyson] is not going to be able to do that with AJ. I just see AJ’s big right hand probably putting his lights out.”

The Ring Creates Regional Heavyweight Title for Fury vs Joshua



Heavyweight championship belts were once treated as sacred prizes reserved for the single fighter standing above the division. Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua is now set to introduce another variation after The Ring confirmed plans for a custom “Fight of Britain” prize.

The publication will reportedly create a one-off all-gold belt for the long-awaited British heavyweight showdown, turning a fight without a recognized world championship into another title event.

The move effectively creates a regional heavyweight crown attached specifically to Fury vs. Joshua, expanding a sport already crowded with interim championships, franchise belts, diamonds, commemorative trophies, and secondary versions spread across multiple sanctioning bodies.

The idea has already raised eyebrows in some quarters as Fury and Joshua are no longer viewed by many as the clear number one and two heavyweights in Britain. Daniel Dubois is a former IBF champion, Fabio Wardley holds the WBO version, and Moses Itauma is widely viewed as the division’s rising force.



Fight of Britain Belt

Will the winner defend the “Fight of Britain” crown in future bouts? Will it disappear immediately after the event as a commemorative piece? Or will boxing eventually move toward regional versions of The Ring championship appearing across multiple divisions whenever a sufficiently large promotion demands one?

The irony is difficult to ignore.

Fury and Joshua were once expected to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Years later, they may now compete for a newly created regional crown connected directly to the promotion itself.

For a sport that once treated heavyweight championships as the clearest measure of supremacy, the continued expansion of customized and secondary titles risks pulling the division further away from that original meaning.

Tyson Fury vaults back to No. 1 in WBC’s heavyweight ratings

The Gypsy King has been put in a better position to regain one of his former crowns, though he’s unlikely to pursue it in the immediate future.

Tyson Fury, who previously held the WBC title before the first of his two losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, is now rated No. 1 in the sanctioning body’s newest monthly ratings update, which was released on May 6.

In his first reign, Fury was the IBF, WBA and WBO titleholder after dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Fury then stepped away from the sport, something that has long been a pattern for him, amid accusations of a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing drug, as well as struggles with mental health, and drug and alcohol use.

Fury announced his latest retirement following his second defeat to Usyk. His first fight of this latest comeback saw Fury nearly shut out Arslanbek Makhmudov last month in London.

That brought Fury’s record to 35-2-1 (24 KOs). And that brought Fury not only into the WBC’s rankings, but into a prime spot, even though Makhmudov was unranked.

Fury bumped the previous No. 1, Lawrence Okolie, down to No. 2, though Okolie’s status could be in limbo due to his recent positive test for a banned PED.

The WBC’s heavyweight title still belongs to Usyk, the two-time former undisputed heavyweight champion, who also has the IBF and WBA belts and remains the lineal and Ring Magazine champion. Usyk is due to face kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.

The WBC also has a secondary interim beltholder, Agit Kabayel, 27-0 (19 KOs), who ostensibly would get first crack at Usyk. And if Usyk were to vacate the title, Kabayel would either be upgraded immediately or would be ordered to fight the next available ranked contender for the vacant belt.

Right now, Fury would be the next ranked contender, but he wouldn’t necessarily be available.

That’s because Fury isn’t on a path right now to fight for the WBC belt. He is instead on course for a long-awaited mega-fight with another former heavyweight titleholder from the U.K., Anthony Joshua.

Fury and Okolie are followed in the WBC’s ratings by Moses Itauma at No. 3, Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Deontay Wilder, Efe Ajagba, Martin Bakole, Richard Torrez Jnr, Richard Riakporhe, Andrii Novytskyi, Frank Sanchez, Bakhodir Jalolov, Guido Vianello and Labinot Xhoxhaj.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 03:43 Tyson Fury vaults back to No. 1 in WBC’s heavyweight ratings

The Gypsy King has been put in a better position to regain one of his former crowns, though he’s unlikely to pursue it in the immediate future.

Tyson Fury, who previously held the WBC title before the first of his two losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, is now rated No. 1 in the sanctioning body’s newest monthly ratings update, which was released on May 6.

In his first reign, Fury was the IBF, WBA and WBO titleholder after dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Fury then stepped away from the sport, something that has long been a pattern for him, amid accusations of a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing drug, as well as struggles with mental health, and drug and alcohol use.

Fury announced his latest retirement following his second defeat to Usyk. His first fight of this latest comeback saw Fury nearly shut out Arslanbek Makhmudov last month in London.

That brought Fury’s record to 35-2-1 (24 KOs). And that brought Fury not only into the WBC’s rankings, but into a prime spot, even though Makhmudov was unranked.

Fury bumped the previous No. 1, Lawrence Okolie, down to No. 2, though Okolie’s status could be in limbo due to his recent positive test for a banned PED.

The WBC’s heavyweight title still belongs to Usyk, the two-time former undisputed heavyweight champion, who also has the IBF and WBA belts and remains the lineal and Ring Magazine champion. Usyk is due to face kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.

The WBC also has a secondary interim beltholder, Agit Kabayel, 27-0 (19 KOs), who ostensibly would get first crack at Usyk. And if Usyk were to vacate the title, Kabayel would either be upgraded immediately or would be ordered to fight the next available ranked contender for the vacant belt.

Right now, Fury would be the next ranked contender, but he wouldn’t necessarily be available.

That’s because Fury isn’t on a path right now to fight for the WBC belt. He is instead on course for a long-awaited mega-fight with another former heavyweight titleholder from the U.K., Anthony Joshua.

Fury and Okolie are followed in the WBC’s ratings by Moses Itauma at No. 3, Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Deontay Wilder, Efe Ajagba, Martin Bakole, Richard Torrez Jnr, Richard Riakporhe, Andrii Novytskyi, Frank Sanchez, Bakhodir Jalolov, Guido Vianello and Labinot Xhoxhaj.

Fury Vs Kabayel.....................

joshj909 wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 07:44
Fury Vs Kabayel.....................

In Summer, then Fury vs Joshua for interim or full title?

Would be big money for Kabayel..

Frank's gonna force Usyk to vacate rather than fight Kabayel, he becomes full champion.. then Fury "can" beat Kabayel.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 08:11

joshj909 wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 07:44
Fury Vs Kabayel.....................

In Summer, then Fury vs Joshua for interim or full title?

Would be big money for Kabayel..

Frank's gonna force Usyk to vacate rather than fight Kabayel, he becomes full champion.. then Fury "can" beat Kabayel.

It makes sense and keeps everyone happy with big fights. Only thing is, does Fury beat Kabayel to keep the Joshua fight alive?

joshj909 wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 08:22

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 08:11

joshj909 wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 07:44
Fury Vs Kabayel.....................

In Summer, then Fury vs Joshua for interim or full title?

Would be big money for Kabayel..

Frank's gonna force Usyk to vacate rather than fight Kabayel, he becomes full champion.. then Fury "can" beat Kabayel.

It makes sense and keeps everyone happy with big fights. Only thing is, does Fury beat Kabayel to keep the Joshua fight alive?

Yh, it's too risky for a 'stay busy' fight

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 08:24

joshj909 wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 08:22

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 08:11

In Summer, then Fury vs Joshua for interim or full title?

Would be big money for Kabayel..

Frank's gonna force Usyk to vacate rather than fight Kabayel, he becomes full champion.. then Fury "can" beat Kabayel.

It makes sense and keeps everyone happy with big fights. Only thing is, does Fury beat Kabayel to keep the Joshua fight alive?

Yh, it's too risky for a 'stay busy' fight

Frank needs to do something with Kabayel if it's not that. Usyk hasn't even mentioned him before and will likely target Wardley if Wardley beats Dubois.

Could we see Kabayel Vs Hrgovic?

Eddie Hearn refutes Dana White's claim that he will promote Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua

Promoter Eddie Hearn has refuted Dana White’s claims that the UFC boss will promote the heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua if it happens later this year.

Hearn has promoted Joshua since he turned professional after the 2012 Olympics and the two have worked side-by-side since.

Of course, there is much to be done before Joshua and Fury do eventually meet in what has billed for the fourth quarter of the year.

It is likely that Fury will take an interim bout, and Joshua is scheduled due to fight Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia in July.

A clip of White, president of Zuffa Boxing, has circulated from a conversation with content creator Nina Drama, where White said: “I’m doing the Tyson Fury-AJ fight, too. I’m promoting that.”

Hearn, responding via Instagram to White’s claims, said: “Such a clout chaser. Not a chance and contractually impossible. Let me know when you find your balls.”

The last line referred to White and Hearn possibly meeting in a bout themselves. White called on a fight with Hearn, who accepted, but there is now an impasse between the pair.

This was the video

Tyson Fury labels Anthony Joshua 'chinny' after watching Daniel Dubois beat Fabio Wardley

Tyson Fury believes Anthony Joshua is "chinny" after watching Daniel Dubois halt Fabio Wardley in 11 rounds on Saturday night. Fury's reasoning is that Joshua, unlike Wardley, got dropped several times by Dubois when they fought in 2024. Fury, of course, is expected to at last collide with Joshua later in the year should they come through warm-up bouts in the interim.

"I've just sat here thinking after Dubois' unbelievable fight," Fury said on social media.

Dubois' incredible victory is his fourth in his last five bouts. After losing to Oleksandr Usyk in 2023, Dubois went on to halt Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua before losing a return to Usyk last July. His victory over Wardley saw Dubois, 23-3 (22 KOs), claim the WBO heavyweight title.

"Dubois fought 'Big Baby' Miller, stopped him but never put him down," Fury continued. "Then he fought Hrgovic, stopped him but never put him down. He fought Wardley... an unbelievable fight, stopped him but never out him down. He hit Usyk with some bombs, never put him over.

"Yet he fights Anthony Joshua and pummels him and puts him to the floor [four] times. I'm not saying Anthony Joshua's chinless but there are the facts. Take it as you wish and as you will. Everybody else never went over, not a singular person, 'Big Baby' Miller, Hrgovic, Usyk or Wardley but Joshua goes down [four times]. Chinny!"

Fury, who is targeting a November showdown with Joshua, added the details of his next "unbelievable, exciting" fight will be revealed soon. The 37-year-old, who ended his latest hiatus with victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, has suffered eight knockdowns during his 35-2-1 (24 KOs) career, beating the count every time.

‘If either fighter loses, you cannot do the fight’: Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury cannot afford a slip up

Matchroom’s promoter says a Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight is one the line in interim bouts.

British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are on a collision course for the end of the year, but neither man can afford a slip up as both intend to take interim fights that lead into that much bigger one later. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn tells Sky Sports that should either man come up short in their tune-ups, it will completely derail their fight, so far as he’s concerned.

Joshua is currently scheduled for a July 25th fight against little-known Kristian Prenga and Fury is expected to take a summer fight as well before meeting Joshua this fall, although no specific opponent has been formally mentioned at this time.

“In my opinion if either fighter loses, you cannot do the fight,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “I will feel sick at the ringwalk on July 25. Especially with what AJ’s come back from. I mean there is that worry. Will he be the same? Everything we see in camp and in sparring lends us to suggest yes. But there’s a lot to overcome. That’s the importance of this fight as well in July.”

Fury most recently fought Arslanbek Makhmudov, but Hearn expects Fury to take a softer touch than that for his summer outing, and should everything come through clear British fans should be well suited for a fight they’ve long awaited.

Tyson Fury lifts lid on first spar with amateur Anthony Joshua: “He gave me a beating, I’m not going to deny it”

Tyson Fury looked back on his firs-ever sparring session with Anthony Joshua when he was an unknown amateur
Back when Tyson Fury was just 22-years-old, he visited Finchley ABC in London for sparring and was introduced to an unknown amateur in Anthony Joshua, who ultimately gave him a “beating” in sparring, he admitted.

Keen on being tested, Fury had offered the boxers in the gym his Rolex watch if anyone could knock him out.

The Gypsy King reflected on the experience not long after it happened, “I went down to Finchley Boxing Club and I sparred with the ABA champion, Anthony Joshua.

“He’s red hot, him, he’s very good. To be honest with you, I thought to myself, ‘I’m only going to take it easy as he’s an amateur and we probably won’t spar again if I go mad.’

“He’s rushed out at me, he threw a one-two and a left hook and I slipped. I thought, ‘He’s not that good, I’m going to take my time.’

“Then bash, he gives me a big uppercut right on the point of the chin. If I’d have had a bit of a weak chin like David Price, I’d have been knocked out for a month.

“He’s very, very good and he’s only young, 20, watch out for that name Anthony Joshua he is one prospect for the future.

“He came out at me for three rounds and he gave me a beating – I’m not going to deny it, he gave me hell for leather for three rounds.

“I thought ‘Oh my god, an amateur is killing me.’”

Love how he throws David Price's chin in there.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑21 May 2026, 05:32 Love how he throws David Price's chin in there.

A chin so weak that Fury gave up the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles rather than punch David Price on it.

TYSON FURY: I'LL KNOCK OUT JOSHUA; HE DOESN'T HAVE A CHIN

Tyson Fury isn’t too pleased that Anthony Joshua pussyfooted around their planned pitting.

Fury and Joshua had a golden opportunity to bring their long-anticipated showdown to a promotional crescendo last month, moments after Fury beat Arslanbek Makhmudov in front of 60,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and millions more watching globally on Netflix.

“The Gypsy King” grabbed the mic and challenged Joshua in a made-for-TV moment. Joshua, who was sitting ringside, called Fury a clout chaser and labeled himself the boss as he refused to enter the ring or engage in much banter.

The sequence and missed opportunity to build buzz for their bout left Fury befuddled.

“I do believe if I fought like a nugget and got knocked all over the place and just about scraped through, they’d have been jumping up and down for a fight, like, ‘Yeah, we’ll have to fight next,’” Fury said on his YouTube channel, FurociTV.

“But because I just took out a world-ranked contender, they weren’t so keen. All of a sudden, they need another fight now in between, which wasn’t the plan before that. The fight was signed. Turki Alalshikh wanted us to get in there and have a proper face-off, and Joshua bottled it at its biggest moment with the world watching. He choked. He didn’t say three words. He sat at ringside and didn’t do anything after 10 years of simmering on boil. We’re finally both signed and he doesn’t have anything to say – proper sausage.

“Here's the facts of this fight – me beating Joshua doesn't do anything for my career, nothing. It doesn’t enhance me. Everyone expects me to beat him anyway. I’m an odds-on favorite, heavily. The world expects me to beat this guy. But if he could ever beat me, they’ll say he’s changed. So, the clout chaser is him. I’ll knock him out, for sure. He can’t and won’t be able to survive against me. He doesn’t have a chin and I’ll bang him on it because I’m quicker than him and I’m a better boxer ... I’ll put him back where he should be – ‘Bambi On Ice.’”

Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) is scheduled to face a huge underdog, Kristian Prenga (21-1, 20 KOs), on July 25 in Saudi Arabia. His tune-up fight will take place seven months after Joshua survived a car accident that killed two of his friends in Nigeria.

Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) has also teased another tune-up fight for August ahead of the all-British battle between former two-time heavyweight champions. Fury-Joshua is slated to take place sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, assuming the rivals win their upcoming bouts.

The loquacious Fury however, curiously cast some unnecessary doubt about the much-desired contest.

“Listen, I might get knocked out in my next fight in August,” Fury said. “So, then it’s all over. So, I got to take it one fight at a time. They’re all deadly, serious fights. So, one step at a time, as I’ve always done.”

Eddie Hearn to Tyson Fury: 'More rounds isn't going to help you beat Anthony Joshua'

Eddie Hearn, promoter of Anthony Joshua, doesn't believe that Tyson Fury needs a warm up bout before taking on his charge in November.

Fury came back to outpoint Arslanbek Makhmudov over 12 rounds in April. It was Fury's first fight since twice losing to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. Joshua, meanwhile, knocked out Jake Paul in six rounds in December. That marked his first action since being stopped by Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

After Fury's victory, he called out Joshua, who was sitting ringside. Joshua, though, insisted he needed more time. Following the victory over Paul, Joshua was involved in a car crash that killed two of his best friends and left the former heavyweight champion needed months' of treatment to get over his own injuries.

Joshua will face the unfancied Kristian Prenga, an Albanian based in New Jersey, on July 25 in Saudi Arabia. Fury was expected to confirm his warm-up bout last week after announcing on social media he would be fighting in Dublin on August 1. A further announcement has not been forthcoming, however.

"[Fury] said to us, 'You don't need another fight'. We had four [actually five and a half] rounds with Jake Paul, in two years of boxing'," Hearn told Sky Sports.

"Come on, you have 12 rounds with Makhmudov at Tottenham. But you still feel like you need more rounds to prepare yourself for Anthony Joshua? I tell you something now. More rounds ain't going to help you.

"When I saw Makhmudov in that fight, I just know what 'AJ' is going to do to him. If we keep this confidence, if we can go in there and put a great performance together on July 25, we go into that Tyson Fury fight with so much momentum. This will be a major moment for the sport but July 25th has to be done."