Tyson Fury Wants Another Tune-Up Before Anthony Joshua

Frank Warren says Fury does not want inactivity after Joshua timeline shift

Tyson Fury is expected to take an interim fight after his planned bout with Anthony Joshua was delayed. Promoter Frank Warren said Fury does not want to remain inactive while waiting for the rescheduled date.

Warren revealed that Fury does not want to sit inactive until a proposed showdown with Joshua later this year after Anthony Joshua’s car accident disrupted the original timeline for the fight.

“That pushed his fight back, so they were really supposed to be fighting in August against each other, that has been pushed back,” said Warren to talkSport Boxing about Fury.

“Come October/November, Tyson will have been out of the ring again for seven months so he will want to be fighting in-between. I have spoken with him and that is what he wants to do, so we will see.”

The explanation immediately creates another question, however.

If Fury does not want seven months of inactivity, why wait until October or November at all?

Fury already returned once against Arslanbek Makhmudov, specifically to shake off rust and restart momentum after his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk. If activity is now considered necessary again, it suggests the Makhmudov fight did not fully solve the problem.

That may reflect the reality of where Fury is physically at age 37.

The version of Fury seen against Makhmudov looked older and heavier than the fighter who dominated Deontay Wilder years ago. He relied more on clinching, leaning, and arm punches than movement and fluidity. It was enough to beat Makhmudov comfortably, but it did not completely reassure fans that the old Fury still exists physically.

Joshua’s side is also operating cautiously. He is already scheduled to take a tune-up against Kristian Prenga on July 25 after recovering from the car accident that delayed the Fury negotiations. Instead of rushing directly into the mega-fight, both camps now appear focused on carefully managing their fighters toward the event without something going wrong first. That changes the feeling around Fury vs. Joshua.

Years ago, the fight was viewed as the collision between two dominant heavyweight stars at their peak. Now it increasingly feels like two aging heavyweights trying to safely reach the starting line intact.

Another Fury tune-up would also carry risks of its own. Any injury, upset, cut, or poor performance could throw the entire schedule into chaos again. Fury’s recent form already leaves little margin for comfort after going 1-2 in his last three fights.

The commercial value of Fury-Joshua remains enormous, which is likely why both camps are being careful. But Warren’s comments also hinted at something else: neither side seems fully comfortable going straight into the fight without more preparation first.

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