Tyson Fury has “indicated” he will return to fight Anthony Joshua if the “deal is right”, promoter Frank Warren has confirmed.
Warren said negotiations are under way and expects the long-awaited fight to take place “sometime in late summer” 2026. He told Sky Sports News: “There’s been some talks going on, there’s nothing been signed yet, but Tyson’s indicated if it’s the right deal, he’ll definitely do it. I think it’s going in the right direction and hopefully we’ll get some news pretty soon as to what’s going to happen.” He added: “I do believe it will happen.”
Matchroom Boxing, Joshua’s promoters, also want the fight, Sky Sports News understands.
A Fury vs Joshua showdown — between two of the era’s leading heavyweights and Britain’s best of their generation — has been discussed for years but never materialised. The Ring Magazine, owned by Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh, reported recently that the fight is being lined up for 2026 and that both fighters are scheduled for separate bouts in Riyadh Season that year.
Joshua, 36, has not fought since his September 2024 defeat to Daniel Dubois and returns to the ring this Friday against Jake Paul in Miami. Fury, 37, announced his latest retirement early this year following two losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
“AJ’s fighting, or whatever you want to call it, this week against Jake Paul and there’s talk of him fighting again early in 2026,” Warren said. “Tyson’s been out for a while now. He may have a warm-up fight but if this fight happens — which I believe it will — it will be sometime in late summer. So that’s another seven months away, so he’ll certainly have a fight in between I think if he comes back.”
On Fury’s condition, Warren said: “He has been in the gym full-time training very hard. He’s in great nick, he looks well and he’s said many times himself he would like to come back and fight again. And 2026 I believe, provided the deal’s right, I think you’ll see him back in the ring again.”
Warren called the bout the one fans have wanted for years. “The fans have been asking for this, and everybody has been talking about it, for years and years and years,” he said. “It’s better that if it’s going to happen it happens now rather than these guys come back and talk about doing it in five or six years’ time. Anybody who I talk to about boxing that’s the one thing they always mention — ‘When are these two getting it on? Are they ever going to get it on? We never got to see it.’ It will happen. I think it will happen and when it does happen I think it’s going to be massive.”
Asked about Joshua’s meeting with Jake Paul, Warren said it is a risky fight for AJ but expected Joshua to prevail. “Well, if it does, he won’t be fighting Tyson Fury, that’s for sure,” he said. “Jake Paul has had 12 fights. He’s never fought at this level, he’s never fought at this weight at heavyweight and he’s fighting a two-time world champion, former Olympic gold medallist who’s still ranked in the top 10 despite his loss that he had against Daniel Dubois, his comprehensive loss against him. He should have too much — much, much too much — for Jake Paul and if he can’t beat Jake Paul, we shouldn’t even be talking about him fighting Tyson Fury. He shouldn’t be fighting a 60-year-old Tyson Fury if he gets beat by Jake.”
On Paul’s credentials and risk, Warren added: “It is dangerous. He’s had 12 fights. He’s in with a guy who has been there, has been world champion. Look what he did with the MMA fighter, Ngannou, he completely knocked him out. It’s a massive risk for Jake. Some people have complained in the past about his opponents. Well they can’t complain this time, he has gone from one extreme to another. This is a tough, tough fight for Jake, he’ll be a massive underdog. I just can’t see how he wins it unless he catches him with a tremendous punch and knocks him over.”