Anthony Joshua to take on Tyson Fury as Eddie Hearn confirms deal signed

A bout between Anthony Joshua, left, and Tyson Fury, right, has been signed (Jordan Pettitt/Zac Goodwin/PA)

Anthony Joshua is to face Tyson Fury later this year after promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed a deal to stage the biggest fight in British boxing history has been signed.

Joshua will face Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 as a warm-up for his long-awaited showdown with Fury, which is expected to take place in November and to be shown on Netflix.

“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!” Hearn said on Instagram.

“The biggest piece of business we’ve ever done but more importantly the one we’ve always wanted. Biggest year of AJ’s career coming up, the comeback is on.”

Before taking on Fury at a venue yet to be announced Joshua must negotiate Prenga, who has lost only one of his 21 fights with all 20 of his wins delivered by knockout.

The little-known New Jersey-based 35-year-old has been campaigning well below Joshua’s level but with his solitary defeat coming by points, it will be hoped he provide the rounds needed to shake off the ring rust.

Joshua’s last appearance was a sixth round knockout of YouTube star Jake Paul in Miami in December.

Later that month the former two-time world heavyweight champion was involved in a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends, placing his career on hold amid concerns he might not box again.

But he has resumed training and has been taken under the wing of his old foe Oleksandr Usyk with the rivals-turned-allies currently in camp in Valencia.

Joshua’s last meaningful fight was against Daniel Dubois in 2024 when he was counted out in the fifth round.

The 36-year-old underwent elbow surgery and also had a shoulder injury, preventing him from returning to the ring until his comeback meeting with Paul.

“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and this is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said.

“I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.” “The landlord will collect his rent” is a reference to the exchange between Joshua and Tyson Fury at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just over a fortnight ago.

Joshua was ringside as Fury marked his comeback after 16 months spent in his latest spell of retirement by defeating Dagestani brawler Arslanbek Makhmudov on points.

It was supposed to be the moment that ignited the build-up to their fight, but instead Joshua remained sat in his seat despite being beckoned into the ring to face off with his British rival.

Following a verbal exchange in which Joshua declared “I’m the landlord, remember that. You work for me”, it later emerged that negotiations between the camps were still ongoing.

Now they have been finalised and after a decade of circling each other amid aborted attempts to agree a showdown while still in their prime, they will collide in a contest Fury has called “The Battle of Britain”.