Tyson Fury has announced details of his final tune-up fight before facing Anthony Joshua, revealing a clash against veteran Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand.
The bout, to be shown on Netflix, will take place on Friday July 24, which is just 24 hours before Joshua takes on unknown Albanian Kristian Prenga in his own warm-up fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Should everything go to plan in those two contests, boxing fans will finally get the long-awaited showdown between the two best British heavyweight boxers of their generation when Fury and AJ face off in a blockbuster event in the latter stages of 2026, having agreed terms earlier this year.
Wach does have more of a track record then Prenga and fought for a world heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko – impressing as he took the Ukrainian great the distance before losing a unanimous decision for the first defeat of his career.
However, that fight was way back in 2012 and the 6ft 7in Pole is now 46 years old, having dropped from a 27-0 record before facing Klitschko to now being 39-13.
Among the defeats was a unanimous decision loss to Dillian Whyte in 2019, a similar defeat to Fury’s cousin Hughie Fury in 2020 and a points loss to Frazer Clarke in 2023.
He was also knocked out inside two rounds by rising star Moses Itauma in July 2024 and Tyson Fury’s performance will likely be judged against that benchmark.
Fury has been training in Thailand for the last few months, making the decision to box at the Max Muay Thai Stadium a touch more explicable and he is expected to fly to Jeddah the following day to be ringside for Joshua v Prenga, after which the build-up to the Battle of Britain can truly begin.
The 37-year-old ended a 16-month retirement in April with a points win over unheralded Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was his first fight in the UK in more than three years.
Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing
Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime.
Buy Now
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing
Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime.
Buy Now
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
“This 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,” said Fury, referencing his training in Thailand.
“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.”
