Tyson Fury wants one more fight in August before he meets Anthony Joshua in the bout both men signed in April. The heavyweight said his plan for the year is three fights, with the Joshua showdown expected at the back end of 2025, likely at Wembley Stadium in October or November.
Speaking on FurociTV, Fury said he is not focused on the name in the opposite corner so much as sharpening himself for the bigger night ahead. “So, my fight plan this year is three fights,” he said. “So it will be April, August, and whenever the big fight’s announced – either October, November.”
He added that no opponent has been set for the August outing, and that the identity does not matter as much as the work it gives him. “We haven’t got an opponent yet, but again: it’s never about the opponent; it’s just about me versus me, always,” Fury said. “So, whoever the opponent is – if it’s Joe Bloggs or if it’s Mike Tyson – it’s all important to me. It’s just the run-out for me, like, just to get sharper for the big one.”
The timing matters because Fury has already returned to the ring once this year after a bruising run of results. He beat Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision in April, his first fight since back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. That April win gave him a reset, but it also left a long gap to bridge before the Joshua fight if the heavyweight block-buster lands in October or November.
Frank Warren said last week he would prefer Fury to take another shakeout fight than go into the Joshua bout rusty after seven or eight months away from the ring. That view lines up with Fury’s own comments and with the reality of a schedule that could stretch from April to the end of the year. Joshua, too, still has business to clear: he is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga on July 25, a warm-up fight that would be his first outing since knocking out Jake Paul and his first proper heavyweight bout since losing to Daniel Dubois in 2024.
The Fury-Joshua matchup was officially signed in April and is expected to take place on British soil, with Wembley the likely venue. For now, the most important part of Fury’s plan is not the name of the August opponent but getting there intact and sharp. If he takes the extra fight, the November date many expect will arrive with both heavyweights having already taken one more step into the ring.
