The heavyweight fight everyone has been waiting for between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is now being planned for November. The United States has come up as a surprising option for the venue, along with the United Kingdom, according to Eddie Hearn, the promoter from Matchroom Boxing, as reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
Hearn shared that both the UK and the US are in talks about hosting the fight. The final call will likely be made by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi sports chief, who is key in making this fight happen. Hearn said, "The UK and America are both in discussions right now. It’ll be down to Turki Alalshikh where that fight’s held, but we’re being told middle of November. Joshua’s got to get the job done against Prenga first."
Many boxing fans are surprised by the US being considered for the fight. Most people thought it would be held in the UK or Saudi Arabia instead. Wembley Stadium is still the top choice for local fans. Joshua has fought there four times in pay-per-view events. Fury has only fought there once, defeating Dillian Whyte in six rounds during their 2022 WBC title match.
Before they can meet each other, both fighters have their own matches to focus on. Joshua will fight Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25 on DAZN PPV. This will be his first fight since a tragic event that took the lives of two of his close friends.
The 36-year-old Joshua won his last fight against Jake Paul in December, finishing him in the sixth round. This came after a tough defeat against Daniel Dubois in September 2024, where he lost in the fifth round. Prenga, who is 35 years old and lives in Englewood, New Jersey, has a record of 20 wins and one loss, with all his wins coming by knockout. He is determined to make a big impact.
Prenga said, "I’m going to spoil that fight," referring to the Joshua-Fury match. He added, "Maybe Fury will fight me after I knock out Joshua? I’m going to shock the world."
Fury also confirmed on Tuesday through Instagram that he will fight in Dublin on August 1. The name of his opponent has not been announced yet. Fury's last fight was on April 11, where he won against Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov by points at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
At 37 years old, Fury has not been in the title picture since he lost back-to-back fights on points to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. Still, he remains one of the biggest names in boxing. Joshua has fought twice in America, winning against Paul and losing unexpectedly to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. Fury has fought all three of his matches with Deontay Wilder in the US.
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