A new surprise twist has emerged ahead of the showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
After being linked to a clash with one another for over a decade, Fury and Joshua are set to finally do battle later this year, provided that both men can successfully come through obstacles in the interim.
Joshua will compete in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 25 against Kristian Prenga, with that bout taking place three months after Fury had ended his 16-month retirement with a unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April.
It appeared that Fury would then sit out and wait for the clash with Joshua, but he has now opted to fight again, with it initially expected that it will take place on a Frank Warren event in Dublin in August.
That could be about to change, after ‘The Gypsy King’ was in attendance at the UFC White House event on Sunday to make the shock announcement that he is set to begin working with Dana White.
“I’ll let Dana do the speaking and do the announcement. It’s a massive announcement. I’m very excited for this fight [with Joshua]. It’s been over a decade in the making. For whatever reason it hasn’t happened.
“There’s a potential fight in August and maybe at the end of the year it happens [with Joshua]. I’m looking forward to fighting whoever they put in front of me and getting back to what I do best, winning.”
UFC CEO White has entered the boxing world this year with his Zuffa Boxing promotion, and has been involved in a number of back and forths with the fellow promoters, most notably Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn.
White stated last month that he was set to be the promoter for the Fury vs. Joshua event, with both Hearn and Queensberry’s Warren denying that claim, but the shock announcement from Fury is now set to add even more fuel to that fire.
