By Daily Sports Nigeria on April 10, 2026

Tyson Fury has urged Anthony Joshua to fight him next and “forget Deontay Wilder,” should he beat Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday.

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) will return from his latest retirement for his first fight in 16 months, as he faces Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While the 37-year-old insists he is not looking past his Russian opponent, he issued an emphatic plea to Joshua on Wednesday, calling on his fellow Brit not to take an interim bout.

Wilder came face-to-face with Joshua after his win over Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena last Sunday, calling out the British-Nigerian boxer for a fight.

“That fight was supposed to happen so many times over the last 10 years, but then someone has had one more fight in between and someone has got knocked out or injured,” Fury told reporters on Wednesday.

“I think we should get this fight on as soon as possible, in case something happens in between.

“The problem is, in heavyweight boxing, anything can go wrong. There are no easy fights, and if you get knocked upside down, it’s finished.

“I want the fight next, and I am sure that AJ feels the same.”

The two British heavyweights have held talks on and off over the years, but the bout has never materialised.

Joshua made his first public appearance in the U.K. at ringside as Wilder defeated veteran Chisora in a back-and-forth contest. He is currently working his way back into the sport after a fatal accident that claimed the lives of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, in Nigeria last December derailed his career.

While Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said they would prefer a warm-up fight before facing Fury, the former champion urged Joshua not to delay.

“Forget Wilder, the man is a shell of himself—forget anyone else,” Fury said. “Let me get through Saturday and then we will do the fight before the end of the year.

“I’ve been out of the ring longer than he [Joshua] has—16 months. Let’s do it, let’s dance.”

Joshua beat Jake Paul in December in his first fight since the previous September, when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois.

Source Punch Ng

Posted April 10, 2026

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