Turki Alalshikh says he wants to try to make the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight in 2026. First, he wants both of them to have “tune-ups” because they’re coming off defeats. It’s a fight that’s well past its sell-by date, as both former champions have been spiraling downward for years.
Zombie Fights: Who Cares?
British fans still want to see Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) and Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) fight, even if they’re nowhere near top-five-level heavyweights at this stage of their careers.
The former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua, 35, was knocked out last September by Daniel Dubois. For his part, Fury, 36, has lost two in a row against Oleksandr Usyk and has looked beyond shot. He appears ready for the glue factory.
“Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury next year. We are trying to do it and thinking about it,” said Turki Alalshikh to Thaboxingvoice about his plans to make the long-awaited fight between the two aging, well past their prime British heavyweights.
Turki’s “Tune-Up” Justification
“I need to have for each one a tune-up first. Why? Because they are both coming from losing. It’s to build it up,” said Turki about Fury and Joshua needing tune-ups to try and change the perception fans have about them.
Tune-ups make little sense for either fighter. If low-level British domestic-level heavyweights like Derek Chisora and Dave Allen are trotted out and used as the opponents for Joshua and Fury, how does that camouflage the perception fans have about both fighters being 100% washed up?
As it is, Fury and Joshua have weak resumes once you get past Oleksandr Usyk. The only two good fighters they’ve fought were 39-year-old Wladimir Klitschko and Usyk. The rest of the names on their resumes are B-level fighters like Dillian Whyte, Carlos Takam and Deontay Wilder.
Tune-ups only work when the opponent used for that purpose is high grade, someone who at least has a chance of winning. Using a fighter that doesn’t belong in the ring with Joshua and Fury for tune-up purposes won’t do the trick to “build it up” in the ‘Battle of Britain’ clash.
If Turki insists on having AJ and ‘The Gypsy King’ Fury take tune-ups, he should use these heavyweights for that purpose:
Zhilei Zhang
Richard Torrez Jr.
Bakhodir Jalolov
Dainier Pero
No “Factory Specs” For Fighters
Turki needs to show Joshua and Fury some tough love by giving them no choice but to fight one of the above heavyweights for their “tune-ups.” The boxing public isn’t going to suddenly believe that the two aging, faded fighters have been refurbished to the original factory specs after beating down-and-out ham and eggers.
Last Updated on 07/17/2025
Read the full article here