Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA ENTERS FULL TRAINING MODE AHEAD OF TYSON FURY BOUT
Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua’s training camp for his fight with Tyson Fury is in full swing.
It has been revealed that both heavyweights have signed a two-fight deal, with the first expected to be held this summer, but other details such as a venue are still unknown given the constant changing situation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The highly-anticipated bout will unify the heavyweight division – with Joshua holding the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles and Fury holding the WBC belt.
Joshua has been ticking over since his dominant victory over Kubrat Pulev back in December with lighter training at his old amateur club Finchley ABC. But now he’s turning it up a notch ahead of the biggest fight of his career.
He is planning on heading to the EIS in Sheffield along with trainer Rob McCracken to continue his training camp.
And Eddie Hearn is optimistic that all the remaining details of their deal can be ironed out by the end of next week, with both fighters having to agree on a venue.
‘We can’t wait. AJ has started his training camp and Fury has been training very hard. They all want the fight,’ he told reporters.
‘They are going to be presented with a few proposals on where to do the fight and everyone has to agree on where to do it.
‘There is no other fight out there that comes close for either guy. July is the date.
‘Really I think end of next week it will be done.
‘Talks have progressed extremely well and we’re closing in on securing the venue and there will be an announcement in due course.
‘We’re at the stage where it’s probably best not to say much more than that.’
The Middle East remains the most likely destination owing to its ability to pay the most lucrative site fees, with operators in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Dubai all in talks with Hearn, who set off on a worldwide tour recently to look at the options for the fight.
There is also interest from Singapore, China, the US and a fringe possibility of Wembley Stadium, but that would be dependent on the UK Government’s ruling on large events once a date has been set.
Tyson Fury recently posted a photo from his training camp looking in great shape having slimmed down even further.
The ‘Gypsy King’ has been training alongside Joseph Parker, who fought Joshua back in 2018. Parker is better placed than most to help Team Fury ahead of the potential undisputed fight with the Watford-born fighter.
The New Zealander fought Joshua in 2018 and while he lost his WBO belt to the Brit in the unification bout, Parker was the first man to take him the full 12 rounds in the professional ranks.
The 29-year-old will be hoping to benefit from the training himself though, having recently appointed Andy Lee as his new trainer ahead of a big fight on May 1 against Derek Chisora.
-Daily Mail
Daniel Dubois came back from two knockdowns to deal Fabio Wardley a brutal and bloody first defeat as a professional and take the WBO heavyweight title in a thunderous all-British clash on Saturday.
Referee Howard Foster finally stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight, with Wardley bleeding heavily from the bridge of the nose and with his right eye almost closed.
Dubois rose twice from the canvas, including being dropped by a right hook in the first 10 seconds of the fight, to pulverise Wardley and become a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
“It was a war. We came through the sticky moments. Thank you, Fabio, for that,” said Dubois, who was previously IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the Ukrainian winning it back in July 2025.
“What a great fight. What a great battle, man”.
The win was Dubois’s 23rd as a professional in 26 fights, while Wardley now has a 20-1-1 record.
Veteran promoter Frank Warren, who manages both men, said it was the best heavyweight fight he had ever put on and confirmed there was a rematch clause in the contract.
For some viewers, however, it was also an uncomfortable watch that could have been stopped earlier.
The 31-year-old Wardley, who was promoted to WBO champion last November after Usyk vacated the title, was making his first defence and showed immense heart as he took a tremendous beating yet refused to capitulate.
He had his opponent on the floor, a blow Dubois, 28, later dismissed as a ‘flash knockdown’, almost with the opening bell still sounding.
Dubois was back on one knee in round three but came close to a stoppage in the sixth with the reigning champion bleeding heavily and on the ropes.
The Londoner continued to land blow after blow on Wardley, who wobbled but refused to give up.
His corner inspected the facial wounds after the eighth, and doctors and the referee took a look in rounds nine and 10, but still the fight continued, with Wardley increasingly struggling to stay on his feet and fighting on instinct.
“You witnessed something special tonight,” Warren told the BBC. “Two men baring their hearts and souls in the ring gave everything, didn’t leave one bit outside the ring.
“They were getting hit with bombs that would take people out, and they stood it.”
-Reuters
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World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has backed Anthony Joshua to defeat Tyson Fury in their long‑anticipated clash later this year and has been helping him with his game plan.
Usyk, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts, has been working with former opponent Joshua in recent months and said he has been impressed by the Briton’s development.
He added that 36-year-old Joshua deserves to beat compatriot and fellow ex-champion Fury, 37, after changing his approach.
“Fury is an unbelievable fighter, and Fury is a very dangerous guy, but I look at how Anthony works and how he has changed,” Usyk told the BBC.
“I like Fury, he is my greedy belly’s best friend, he’s an amazing fighter, but I want Anthony to win – he deserves it.”
Joshua, a former two‑time world heavyweight champion, is scheduled to return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25. The bout will be his first since a car accident last December in which two close friends were killed.
Usyk said his recent work with Joshua has focused on technical and mental preparation.
“We speak about strategy, boxing skills and psychology. We speak about fights, our fights, and I say ‘champ, come on, don’t stop’,” he said.
The Ukrainian is set to defend his world titles against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.
-Reuters
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- Summary
- *Joshua to face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh after car accident hiatus
- *Fight marks start of Joshua’s multi-fight deal in Saudi Arabia, announced by Turki Alalshikh
- *Promoter Hearn says Joshua vs Fury is signed for later in the year
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.
“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!,” Hearn posted on Instagram.
The announcement came after confirmation that Joshua will return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 in the Briton’s first fight since he was in a car accident last December that killed two close friends.
U.S.-based Albanian Prenga, 35, is a former kickboxer with a ring record of 20 wins and one defeat since he turned professional in 2016.
The fight, billed as “The Comeback”, was announced by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh and will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.
Turki also posted on X a message “to my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed” while his Ring Magazine said the fight would happen in Q4 2026 on Netflix.
SIXTH-ROUND KNOCKOUT
Joshua, 36, has a record of 28 wins and four losses with his most recent fight a sixth-round knockout of American Jake Paul on December 19 in Miami.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and today is the next step on that journey,” said Joshua.
“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25th in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
Hearn told Sky Sports television he wanted a “tune-up bout” in July before facing Fury potentially in November.
“July and November are the two dates that have been presented to us now and we expect to move forward,” he said. “Fury has just had his tune-up fight with 12 really vital rounds to get him sharp for the next one and I expect us to do the same.”
Fury called for a showdown with Joshua after he outclassed Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
“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,” he said then.
-Reuters
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