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Can Fury-Joshua be fitting finale for heavyweight golden generation?
Fight week is here for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua - but despite the hope of fight fans, it is not each other that they face.
On Friday, the former will entertain Mariusz Wach in his second tune-up test of the year, in a low-key encounter in Thailand.
Then, on Saturday, it is the turn of the latter, who tackles Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia for what will be his first fight of 2026.
Victory is not a foregone conclusion for either man - but with the odds overwhelmingly in their favour, defeat would be a shock.
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If matters pan out as planned then, it should only be a matter of days before the duo's long-awaited clash is rubber-stamped.
Yet even with the confirmation of a date and a venue yet to come, there is a sense of strange melancholy behind the bravado.
For generations, Fury and Joshua have helped dominate the heavyweight division, and by extension, boxing as a sport itself.
But while, for some, their encounter will come half-a-decade or so too late, it still feels like a seminal glamour-division moment.
More so than that, it has inadvertently become a curtain call too - a passing-of-the-torch to a new breed of hungry contenders.
Harry Murphy/Getty Images
So can Fury-Joshua give their era a fitting send-off for a golden generation that deserves it? DAZN News reflects and considers.
Why is it the end of an era?
For the last decade, Fury and Joshua have been among the heavyweight division's biggest champions and blockbuster players.
Their respective wins over former kingpin Wladimir Klitschko effectively secured their coronation as the sport's leading faces.
Joined by Deontay Wilder, and later Oleksandr Usyk at the summit, the pair helped break new boundaries both home and away.
But now, the guard is changing. Fury himself has already retired multiple times, while Wilder is aging out and Usyk is due to quit.
Joshua's future is meanwhile up in the air - and his involvement in a fatal car-crash last year makes his return remarkable too.
What is a fitting send-off for Fury-Joshua?
A new generation - led by WBO champion Daniel Dubois and WBC kingpin Agit Kabayel among others - are at the summit now.
Yet none are yet to muster the commercial appeal of Fury and Joshua internationally, making their impending bout a special one.
Even without the twists and turns and history of their rivalry through the years, their stature and reputation ensures an audience.
Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
That is likely what they will get, both in whatever venue they take and those who tune in to watch from around the globe as well.
But it is more than just the numbers each man will hope to deliver when they meet - it is the legacy they want to leave with them.
Can the pair deliver on expectations?
Perhaps this is the biggest worry for fight fans. Long-awaited hype bouts have historically struggled to live up to the major billing.
In their tests with Wach and Prenga, Fury and Joshua will be seeking to shake off the cobwebs - but they may need to offer more.
Fury in particular looked as if he was going through the motions against Arslanbkek Makhmudov on his April comeback encounter.
As for Joshua, his last bout - against an outclassed Jake Paul - did not exactly test his powers to the full potential of his skillset.
The jury, then, is out if the facts will match the myth. But defeat Wach and Prenga first, and Fury and Joshua will answer soon enough.
Joshua vs. Prenga - exclusively on DAZN PPV
Watch Anthony Joshua's hugely anticipated return to the ring versus Kristian Prenga on Saturday, July 25 only on DAZN PPV. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Itauma vs. Hrgovic and Canelo vs. Mbilli PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
