Tyson Fury has announced plans to fight on August 1 in Dublin – one week after Anthony Joshua makes his comeback.
The British heavyweights are on a collision course for a long-awaited showdown that has been mooted to take place in November, although it appears both fighters will have a warm-up.
Joshua will take on unfancied Albanian Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 in his first bout since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December which killed two of his closest friends.
Fury posted a video in an Instagram story showing him back in training in Thailand alongside the caption: “Let’s go August 1, Dublin, Ireland.”
With promoter Frank Warren staging a bout between Pierce O’Leary and Mark Chamberlain at the 3Arena in the Irish capital on that date, Fury is seemingly set to slot into the card.
An opponent has yet to be revealed, although Warren has ruled out the prospect of Fury taking on Andy Ruiz Jr, who dethroned Joshua as world champion in 2019 before losing the rematch later that year.
Fury marked his return from a 16-month retirement with a wide points win over Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, after which he immediately called out Joshua, who was present at ringside.
Rather than face-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and ignite the build-up to a contest at least a decade in the making, Joshua refused to budge from his seat.
A verbal exchange ensued, with Joshua taunting his rival by declaring: “I’m the landlord, remember that. You work for me.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has since stated: “Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on.”
