Fury defeats Fauch and moves closer to a Joshua fight

Tyson Fury has moved closer to a highly anticipated heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua after securing a technical knockout victory over Polish boxer Mariusz Wach, though he said he remains “unconvinced” that his British compatriot will face him.

Fury, 37, dominated 46-year-old Wach in front of 1,500 spectators in the coastal Thai city of Pattaya in a bout that was not broadcast live on television. The former two-time heavyweight world champion relentlessly pressured his opponent until Wach’s corner decided to throw in the towel in the seventh round.

This was Fury’s second win of the year from two fights, marking his return to the ring after a 16-month absence.

Attention now turns to the other former two-time heavyweight champion, Joshua, who is set to face Albanian boxer Christian Brnaga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

If Joshua, the 36-year-old, wins as expected, it would pave the way for the long-awaited clash with his fellow Briton, Fury.

Fury said, “I’ve passed my test. Let’s see if Joshua passes his.”

He added, “In Tottenham, in front of 70,000 people, he didn’t have the courage to step into the ring and face me. Let’s see if he ever will... I’m not convinced.”

He continued, “We hope the next big fight will be signed next week.”

Fury denied rumors that he had traveled to Jeddah to meet Joshua face-to-face and possibly announce their upcoming bout, insisting instead that he would return “to my wife and children.”

Joshua’s fight against Brnaga will be his first professional appearance since a car accident in Nigeria last December that claimed the lives of two close friends, Sina Gamie and Latif Ayodele.

His last competitive ring appearance was a knockout loss to his fellow Briton, Daniel Dubois, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world champion, at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.