Tyson Fury And Anthony Joshua Sign Contracts For Late 2026 Fight

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have signed contracts for a heavyweight fight expected to take place late in 2026, with multiple outlets tying the bout to Netflix and to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season programming.

“Former world heavyweight boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed up for a long-awaited clash later this year, promoter Eddie Hearn said on Monday”

Al Jazeera

Eddie Hearn posted on social media that the fight was “Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!” and The Ring’s announcement described it as “DONE DEAL. Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. Q4, 2026. Netflix.”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that Joshua has signed a deal to fight Fury, while also emphasizing that Joshua will first have a comeback fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 25 July.

Al Jazeera similarly said the clash would be later this year and reported Hearn’s statement that “Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!” after confirmation of Joshua’s return against Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh.

The New York Times said both fighters “have both signed contracts to finally fight each other late in 2026,” and added that Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Al-Sheikh led negotiations and posted on X: “To my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed.”

While no specific date or venue was confirmed in the early reporting, Sky Sports and The Guardian both described the fight as a “mega-fight” and pointed to November as the expected month, with Netflix holding broadcast rights.

Before Fury, Joshua’s next step is a warm-up comeback fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 25 July, with the deal framed as part of a multi-fight arrangement.

The BBC said Joshua “will first have a comeback fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 25 July,” and described Joshua’s recent inactivity as he “has not fought since he was a passenger in a fatal car crash in December.”

Bad Left Hook

Al Jazeera reported that the July 25 return is “in the Briton’s first fight since he was in a car accident last December that killed two close friends,” and it identified the opponent as US-based Albanian Prenga, 35, with a ring record of 20 wins and one defeat since turning professional in 2016.

The Independent and The Ring both described the same warm-up structure, with The Independent saying Joshua will box Prenga in Saudi Arabia on 25 July and quoting Joshua’s own line: “The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”

The Ring’s report added that Joshua will fight Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh and that, “Should Joshua come through Prenga unscathed, he will finally fight Tyson Fury at the end of 2026,” also stating the bout would be “live on Netflix.”

The New York Times said Joshua will first face “little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga” in a bout on July 25 in Saudi Arabia as part of a “multi-fight deal” and that it “will be broadcast on DAZN.”

The reporting ties the Fury-Joshua agreement to a renewed public push after Fury’s comeback fight, with Fury calling out Joshua immediately afterward and Joshua declining to enter the ring during their exchange at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“- Published Anthony Joshua has signed a deal to fight fellow former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Eddie Hearn has announced”

BBC

Sky Sports said Fury called out Joshua after his points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month, and it quoted Fury’s challenge: “Next, I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for,” followed by “I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want: The Battle of Britain.”

The Guardian also described the exchange at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, saying Joshua and the crowd could not hear Joshua because of a malfunctioning microphone, and it quoted Joshua’s earlier line to Fury: “I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years. 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.”

In the same Guardian account, Fury’s post-fight stance was quoted directly: “If it ain’t Anthony Joshua next I’m not interested in boxing,” and “It’s either him or I’m gone again. I’m out.”

The BBC’s account similarly referenced that Joshua attended Fury’s recent comeback fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov and was called out by his British rival immediately after he secured a comfortable decision win.

The Independent added that Joshua refused to enter the ring for a face-off with Fury and was coy while speaking on the microphone, and it quoted Prenga’s confidence that he would “derail their plans and shock the world this July in Saudi Arabia.”

While all the outlets describe the fight as signed and tied to Netflix, they diverge on the timing and how the announcement is presented, reflecting different emphases on “later this year,” “November,” or “Q4, 2026.”

Al Jazeera said the clash would be “later this year” and reported Hearn’s Monday announcement, while also stating that Ring Magazine said the fight would happen in the fourth quarter of 2026 on Netflix.

Boxing Insider

Sky Sports described the mega-fight as “signed, sealed and delivered” for 2026 and said Hearn previously suggested November was the date they were targeting for Joshua’s fight with Fury after the July comeback bout.

The Guardian said the bout is expected to take place in November with Netflix having broadcast rights, and it framed the fight as “the most hyped and regularly postponed fight” in British boxing history.

Boxing Insider and The Ring both reported the Ring Magazine framing of “Q4, 2026,” with Boxing Insider adding that Netflix holds broadcast rights and that the agreement was expected to take place in November 2026.

The BBC, by contrast, said “A date or venue for Joshua v Fury has not been announced,” even as it reported the deal was signed and that the warm-up against Prenga would be on 25 July in Riyadh.

Even with contracts signed, the next steps described by the outlets center on Joshua’s July 25 performance and on the remaining details that are still not confirmed, including the date and venue for the Fury fight.

“La pelea entre Tyson Fury y Anthony Joshua, una de las más esperadas por los británicos en los últimos años, se realizará en el 2026 en un evento de Riyadh Season”

Izquierdazo

The BBC said Joshua “must first get past unknown 35-year-old Albanian Prenga” and noted that “A date or venue for Joshua v Fury has not been announced,” while also stating that promoter Hearn posted that the long-awaited fight was “signed, sealed and delivered.”

Izquierdazo

The Guardian similarly laid out the sequence, saying Joshua will fight Prenga in Riyadh on 25 July “as a tune-up before facing Fury,” and it described Joshua as “still recovering from the car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends and left him in hospital late last year.”

The New York Times said the Fury bout will be dependent on Joshua coming through the Prenga fight unscathed, and it also reiterated that “No specific date or venue has been confirmed yet.”

The Independent added that “Tickets will not go on sale until those details are official,” and it described the warm-up as part of a “multi-fight deal” with the Fury fight later in 2026.

On the Fury side, the outlets describe Fury as having returned from retirement and having challenged Joshua after beating Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, with Sky Sports and The Guardian both quoting Fury’s call to “The Battle of Britain.”