Anthony Joshua is poised to sign a contract for a highly anticipated showdown with Tyson Fury, although he may first participate in a warm-up fight in July before the big clash in November. Fury has already committed to the all-British super fight and recently challenged Joshua following his victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed that they received the contract last week and are currently reviewing it, with Hearn stating that Joshua is nearing full recovery from a car accident in Nigeria and is expected to resume training soon. The original plan was for Joshua to fight in March and then face Fury in August, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the timeline has been pushed back to July and November.
There is speculation that Joshua's July bout could be against Deontay Wilder, with Hearn confirming that they are exploring the possibility of Joshua facing Wilder and then Fury in back-to-back fights. Hearn believes it is likely that Joshua will have a tune-up fight, citing Fury's recent tune-up fight as a precedent.
However, Wilder's camp has denied any discussions taking place, with his co-manager, Shelly Finkel, stating that he would like to speak with Hearn to understand his thoughts before commenting further.