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Anthony Joshua is right to dismiss Tyson Fury clash but not for much longer
Saturday night may have seen Tyson Fury record his first victory in almost three years, but the image of Anthony Joshua unmoved at ringside may be the defining image from the latest huge show to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Before the attention focused on this era’s popular heavyweight pair, Turki Alalshikh provided a massive hint that a showdown between the former world champions was close to being agreed.
Fury was set to do battle with Arslanbek Makhmudov. Joshua had been at ringside all night with Eddie Hearn, his promoter, close by, Frank Warren was in Fury’s dressing room providing support, and His Excellency was staging the show with support from Netflix.
All the key components required to make the biggest fight in British boxing history were in the same venue and Alalshikh appeared confident that an agreement could be reached. All that seemingly was required was for Fury to win and later this year Fury vs Joshua would be official, but this is boxing, and although Fury did register victory, problems soon became apparent.
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Goaded by Fury after his points victory over Makhmudov, Joshua stayed in his seat and refused to enter the ring with Fury and Alalshikh stating that night belonged to Fury, and he should enjoy the adulation. Fury challenged him to a fight, asked Joshua to answer ‘yes or no.’ The fight looked on to Fury’s side and Alalshikh, but for Joshua, this is nowhere near a done deal, and he made that clear without looking weak.
Since losing to Daniel Dubois in 2024, a shattering defeat where he was dropped four times, Joshua has only fought once and that came against Jake Paul at the backend of 2025. Returning from a devastating loss to face Paul was blatantly admitted by plenty involved to be nothing more than a cash grab, but with Fury now loitering with intent, and also having a meaningful comeback win after his own setbacks, Joshua, and his team, will feel they should be afforded the same privilege.
As well as restoring his reputation inside the ring, Joshua was also dealt with a tragic blow to his personal life just after Christmas last year when two of his closest friends were killed in a car crash in Nigeria. Joshua had been travelling in the same vehicle but escaped with only minor injuries, but who knows what such a cruel tragedy can do to man whilst trying to prepare himself mentally for what could be the biggest fight of his career.
DAZNBefore travelling to London this past weekend for Fury’s comeback, Joshua had been in camp with Oleksandr Usyk hoping to benefit from his past rival and use it as a platform to become heavyweight champion for a third time. That path will likely include a stop against Fury, but despite the insistence of Alalshikh and even Netflix, who tweeted the fight was coming this Autumn, Joshua will do what’s best for him before signing on the dotted line.
Insisting he was the landlord and that he had been here several times with Fury in the past, Joshua made no moves to suggest this fight was anywhere near done and until it’s confirmed by both sides then the pair remain where they have been for the best part of the last decade and that’s still trading barbs at each other without actually agreeing to fight.
On Instagram on Friday night, Hearn opened his stories up for a quick Q and A session with his followers eager to know when Joshua will return. Hearn stated July would be his comeback date and that automatically rules out a showdown with Fury next and that is only fair considering the latter was entitled to a fight with Makhmudov.
Who will be in the opposite corner is still undecided, but Joshua will need to win and look impressive if he is to convince people that a long-awaited battle with Fury is still the biggest fight in boxing. If Joshua can do that and also persuade Fury to be ringside for a closer look, then, and only then, could we land the Joshua vs Fury fight after ten years of waiting.
The heavyweight fight we’ve had to remain so patient so long for is almost upon us. But this is boxing. Something so close may as well be a million miles away until the first bell sounds. Alalshikh and Fury found that out first hand on Saturday night, but July might bring the pair more positive news.
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One of boxing's brightest prospects will headline in Liverpool on April 18 as Ben Whittaker faces Braian Suarez. Whittaker is hoping to be a world champion in the next year and he can take one step closer when he faces Suarez. DAZN is the only place you can watch the fight.
