Why Tyson Fury won’t be at Anthony Joshua’s fight even though Oleksandr Usyk will be there
Even though Anthony Joshua is back in the ring tonight fighting Kristian Prenga, Tyson Fury won’t be there—and there’s a good reason why.
Fury just had a non-televised fight against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday (July 24). The ‘Gypsy King’ won by knocking Wach out in the seventh round, with only about 1,500 fans watching.
This fight was like a warm-up for a possible big all-British match between Fury and Joshua planned for 2026. Tonight, Joshua is expected to beat Albania’s Prenga.
Back in April, Joshua was at Fury’s comeback fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov, and they traded some heated words afterwards at Tottenham Stadium.
Throughout fight week, Fury hasn’t held back, even calling Joshua a “big s***house” after his win over Wach.
“I passed my test,” Fury said. “Let’s see if Joshua can pass his. The real test is how brave he is. I think he’s a big s***house. At Tottenham, in front of 70,000 people, he didn’t have the guts to get in the ring with me. I’m not sure if he ever will. I’ll take a break now and hopefully sign the next big fight next week.”
Joshua explained why he didn’t face Fury, saying he sees Fury as “the landlord,” inviting him to his home instead.
“I’m inviting you to my home,” Joshua said. “You never invite me to yours. I’ve signed contracts with Fury before, so I’m not playing games. If the contract was signed, I’d be in the ring.”
Where the fight will happen is still unknown. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said it might be in the US, with Madison Square Garden in New York as a top choice.
Many thought Fury would watch Joshua’s fight live at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia, but that’s not happening. Fury explained he’s been away training for months and wants to go home to his wife and kids.
“I’ve been away for six or seven months,” Fury said after his fight. “I’m not going to Jeddah. I’m going home to my family who have supported me from afar. I’ve trained for 10 weeks and before that was away for four months. Now it’s time to rest.”
Interestingly, Joshua’s former rival and training partner Oleksandr Usyk was at the Jeddah fight, showing support for Joshua, even though Usyk has beaten him twice before.