FRANK WARREN has revealed Tyson Fury will finally fight Anthony Joshua in 2026.
The heavyweight superfight has been six years in the making, but recent verbal blows traded between the pair have re-stocked the value of the clash.
Warren, 73, has been Fury’s promoter for the past seven-and-a-half years since he made a return to the ring in 2018 following a 31-month absence.
But the Queensbury Promotions chief insists that the fight will only happen if Fury is offered the right amount of money.
He told Sky Sports News: “What will encourage Tyson is the financial aspect of it.
“I believe he’s got the beating of AJ, as does Tyson and the team. It’s all about the value of the fight. It’s a big fight and it’s worth a lot of money.
“Tyson has his price. If he gets his price, he’ll be in there to fight him.”
Another factor that will determine the value of the fight is where it will be held, with London and Riyadh the frontrunners.
Warren added: “Money will dictate where the fight takes place, it’s as simple as that.
“They will go where the money is, they’re professional fighters, they go in the ring and take punches for money.
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“They’re no different to any other sportsmen, golfers, footballers, whoever it may be. They’ll play in whatever country they can generate the most income.”
It’s a year to the day since Fury’s second fight against Oleksandr Usyk, who beat the Gypsy King narrowly on points both times.
AJ’s last fight came on Friday, when he knocked out Jake Paul in round six in Miami.
Prior to that, Joshua was taken apart by Daniel Dubois – another fighter in Warren’s stable – in London 15 months ago, being knocked down four times.
Warren said: “The version I saw (of Joshua) in his last fight, I would fancy Tyson even more.
“There’s a few times that he got caught by Jake Paul. He caught him with a couple of good jabs and he caught him with a good uppercut. He (Paul) was just too small.
“Tyson will knock him out. I know he’ll knock him out.”
Calls were being made for Fury-AJ to happen in February 2020 after Fury bludgeoned Deontay Wilder in the pair’s second fight.
Warren went onto say that the spectacle would be “the biggest sporting event to take place in the UK since England won the World Cup.”
Later that year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that a two-fight deal between the pair had been reached.
At the time it would have been a unification bout for undisputed, but it never materialised.
Five-and-a-half years on with Fury now 37 and Joshua 36, Warren’s sensational claim comparing the scale of the bout to the 1966 World Cup final might not stand anymore. Nevertheless, it’s still a colossal event.
Warren added: “In boxing, it’s a dangerous sport, most boxers’ careers are over at these two’s ages.
“There’s nothing better than an all-Brit fight, there’s no atmosphere like the Brits when they get into a fight, and that would be great. But the TV audience would be massive as well.”
And 2026 could finally be the year British boxing fans get what they want, and it would be better late than never.
