Tyson Fury has confirmed his plan for the rest of 2026 which includes what he described as “the big one” against career-long rival, Anthony Joshua.
The Brobdingnagian fighter returned to the ring April 11 for a decision win against Arslanbek Makhmudov and handily defeated the giant after 12 rounds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Joshua promoter and Matchroom chairman, Eddie Hearn, then said AJ would most likely accept a two-fight deal that the sport’s financier, Turki Alalshikh, had presented, as it would see his fighter box a warm-up before taking on Fury before the year’s end.
It’s a timeline that seemingly suits Fury, who told FuriocitTV his “fight plan this year is three fights: April, August, and whenever the big fight is announced; either October or November.”
It is unclear whom Fury could return against in the summer. He’s previously said in various video callouts that he wants a third shot at Oleksandr Usyk, and downplayed Agit Kabayel, who he said was not a preferential option for Usyk to fight as he can’t sell as well as Fury can.
It’s unlikely, though, that the “runout” Fury mentioned will be someone who is as strong a contender as Kabayel, for fear it could scupper the Joshua payday down the line.
Fury has also seemingly ruled out Daniel Dubois and Moses Itauma. The realistic candidate pool could, therefore, be limited to the likes of a fourth fight with Dereck Chisora, or bouts against Kubrat Pulev, Mariusz Wach, Frank Sanchez, Joe Joyce, or, even, Francis Ngannou in a rematch that could be billed as “unfinished business.”
Fury continued: “We haven’t got an opponent yet, but it’s never about the opponent. It’s just about me versus me always. Whoever the opponent is whether it’s Joe Bloggs or Mike Tyson. It’s unimportant to me.
“It’s just a runout to get sharper for the big one,” he said.
