The heavyweight fight boxing fans have waited over a decade for is finally confirmed. Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed contracts to meet in a blockbuster all-British showdown later this year, with the bout expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2026 and broadcast live on Netflix.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom announced the agreement on Monday, and Saudi boxing financier Turki Al-Sheikh confirmed the signing with a message posted on X: “To my friends in Great Britain — it’s happening. It’s signed.”
Ring Magazine, controlled by Al-Sheikh, described the fight as a done deal for Q4 2026. Hearn told Sky Sports that November is the target date, with Wembley Stadium and Dublin’s Croke Park among the venues under consideration.
The confirmation follows a charged ringside moment at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, when Fury, fresh from a unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov, called Joshua out in front of a capacity crowd with cameras rolling on Netflix. Joshua, seated ringside, declined to enter the ring, saying it was Fury’s night, but made his position clear in pointed terms, telling Fury he was “the landlord” and that terms would be set on his schedule.
Fury had confirmed after the Makhmudov fight that he had already signed his side of the deal. There was some disappointment on the night that Joshua did not join him in the ring to confirm it publicly.
Before the Fury fight, Joshua will first return against Albania’s Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a bout billed as his comeback after a difficult period. Joshua, 36, has been in recovery since a car accident in Nigeria last December that claimed the lives of two of his close friends. His record stands at 29 wins and four losses, with 26 knockouts.
Fury, 37, returned from more than a year away from boxing after announcing his retirement following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. His record stands at 35 wins, two losses and one draw, with 24 knockouts.
The two men have circled each other for the best part of a decade without ever sharing a ring. When it does happen, it will rank as the most commercially significant British heavyweight fight ever staged.
