In one corner, we have Fury: the mercurial, 6ft 9in enigma. A man who rose from the canvas against Deontay Wilder like a cinematic resurrection and who, in 2015, outboxed Wladimir Klitschko in his own back yard to claim the world title for the first time. Fury is the ultimate psychological predator. Even now, in the twilight of his career, his ring IQ remains his greatest weapon. He does not just fight you; he occupies your mind and makes you feel like an intruder in your own skin.
Under the Saudi influence, the geopolitical landscape of boxing has shifted permanently. The traditional hubs of Las Vegas and London have had to take a back seat to the ambition of Saudi Arabia. Alalshikh has not just brought the money; he has brought a sense of urgency. He is the ultimate matchmaker, a man who treats the heavyweight rankings like a personal chessboard.
The sheer scale of the production will be unlike anything we have seen. We are talking about a spectacle that transcends the 19ft square, and as I predicted at the start of the year, it will be streamed on Netflix to its enormous audience of 325 million subscribers. This is the fight that defines an era. It is the clash that will determine who truly sat on the throne during the most vibrant period of British heavyweight boxing since the days of Lennox Lewis.
So what will happen when the first bell rings in either Riyadh, the United States, or perhaps the UK? The venue and exact date is yet to be confirmed. Joshua will have a tune-up contest against little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga, in Riyadh, on July 25.
Expect Fury to use his reach and feints to disrupt Joshua’s rhythm early. Joshua knows he cannot out-finesse Fury over 12 rounds. He will be looking to detonate that right hand before Fury can settle. At their respective ages, the championship rounds will be a gruelling test of who has looked after their body better over the years. For me, Fury is still the marginal favourite who on my card could win on points or by late stoppage.
There will be those who say it is too late. I say they are wrong. Heavyweight boxing is often at its most volatile when the titans are older, wiser, and perhaps a little more desperate. This is not just about titles, It’s about the bragging rights in every pub from Morecambe to Watford.
The talking is almost over. The ink is dry. In late 2026, we finally get our answer: Fury versus Joshua in a generational war. And goodness me, it is about time.
Both men are past their peak but we will still witness the biggest, richest fight in British boxing history.
Finally. The fight every fan in Britain, and indeed the boxing world, has craved for a decade has finally crystallised into a reality.
The “Battle of Britain” is no longer a ghost story told around the campfires of social media; it is a signed, sealed and delivered contract for later this year. And let us be brutally honest: there is only one man with the willpower and the bottomless coffers to make the seemingly impossible possible. Turki Alalshikh has done it again.