Tyson Fury confirms warm-up fight: ‘It’s the start of a huge second half of the year’

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua feels closer than ever, with Turki Alalshikh confirming we can expect to see Fury vs AJ on a date and at a venue to be confirmed. “The Gypsy King” and Joshua have both made it clear they want another fight before facing each other, with Joshua being confirmed to face Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Jeddah. Fury had been heavily rumoured to be fighting on August 1, but it has now been announced that “The Gypsy King” will fight on July 24 against experienced Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach. Via a Queensberry Promotions press release, Tyson Fury has given his reaction to the fight confirmation.

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua

Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) last fought at the end of 2025, stopping Jake Paul. However, after that victory, Joshua was involved in a devastating car crash in Nigeria, which claimed the lives of his two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele. Joshua was rescued from the vehicle, injured. His comeback fight against Prenga will confirm if the Fury fight is still alive or if it’s dead once and for all.

Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) returned to the ring after a 15-month layoff on April 11, 2026, comfortably outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov. Before that, “The Gypsy King” lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, leading to him announcing his retirement after the rematch loss.

Tyson Fury reacts to warm up fight confirmation

Speaking via a Queensberry press release, Fury addressed his comeback fight against Wach (39-13, 20 KOs), and how it was just the beginning of a huge second half of 2026 for “The Gypsy King:”

“2026 is a landmark year for me in boxing, and I’m excited to be able to bring this event to Pattaya, a part of the world that is special to me.

“We’re coming together to put on a great show for the fans, while using the opportunity to give back to the local community, who have been so good to me every time I have visited.

“At the same time, I’m fully focused on preparing for a tough opponent and making sure I’m the best version of Tyson Fury going into fight night. It’s the start of a huge second half of the year for me.”

Kristian Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) and Mariusz Wach are both unlikely to pose any risk to Joshua and Fury. It’s easy to criticise both opponents, but this makes it clear that both are just looking to blow away any remaining cobwebs before they finally collide later this year.

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