23 years after Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno’s notable ‘Battle of Britain’, boxing is on the verge of a similar but bigger event that will see domestic heavyweight rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua collide. Looking ahead to the proposed fight, Bruno doubled his prediction on how the fight would go.

In 1993, Frank Bruno was defeated by Lewis, stopped in the seventh round, which was the third unsuccessful challenge for the heavyweight crown. The event at the Millennium Stadium was the first all-British clash for the coveted throne and marked the beginning of an impressive run of success.

This has since grown to seven all-British world heavyweight title contests, with Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley most recently going to war, and the latter activated the rematch clause and scored the eighth goal.

There will be no world title if Fury and Joshua collide, but that won’t stop the main event from becoming one of the biggest in recent sporting history

Both fighters are scheduled to do a “warm-up” before the match – Fury’s announcement has yet to be made official – as Joshua looks to gain additional experience under newly appointed coach Iegor Golub when he faces Kristian Prenga in July.

Last month, Bruno praised the move, believing Joshua’s attitude would make the difference on fight night, saying: “If he’s in a good mood, I don’t see him having a problem.”

Now in interview for iFL TVBruno stood by this opinion, believing that “age has caught up with Fury” and that Joshua will take advantage of it if he is in the right headspace.

“It will be a good fight, I think it will definitely last, but I think Tyson Fury is getting aged. Even his dad says so: [about his] aged age. I hope he does very, very well.

“He has the survival skills you know, Tyson, but Joshua is a very good fighter – if he believes in himself. If he goes out there believing in himself, it will be a tough fight for Tyson.

“We need it, it’s good for boxing.”

Joshua returns on July 25 against Prenga, and Fury could face his own Albanian heavyweight next month. If they both win, their own Battle of Britain will take place in mid-November.

Dana White has again said he is promoting the Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury fight later this year, with promoters representing both heavyweight fighters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn denying that claim based on their signed contracts. The exchange resurfaced at the Zuffa Boxing 07 post-fight press conference in Bournemouth on Saturday, June 6, 2026, during which White was directly asked if he was promoting the fight.

What Dana White said

White first made this claim during a livestream earlier this year. “This is the busiest year of my career. I will be traveling everywhere. This year I am focusing on hardcore Zuffa Boxing,” he said. “I’m also doing the Tyson Fury fight, AJ. I’ll be promoting it.”

When pressed on the matter at Bournemouth, White did not address the contractual issues and instead pointed to Hearn. “Do you think I would lie in public and make myself look like an idiot in front of everyone? Do you believe I would do that? What would be the point?” – said White. “Call Eddie now and ask him if he knows where the fight is. Call Eddie and ask who negotiated the contract for the fight. ” He also said the location was set and let him know he knew it.

What Frank Warren said

Warren, founder of Queensberry Promotions, which promotes Fury, disputed White’s account when asked about it. “Well, no,” Warren told Fight Hub TV on whether White would promote the fight. “Tyson’s contract says Zuffa won’t be able to promote this fight. I don’t know why Dana White said that would be the case. That’s bulls***.”

What Eddie Hearn said

Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom promoting Joshua, was the first to respond on social media. “Such an influence hunter. No chance and it’s impossible in the contract. Let me know when you find the balls,” he wrote.

He later presented the contractual position in more detail. “The reality is that a contract is a contract. The fight won’t happen if they are involved in promoting the show,” Hearn told iFL TV. “It clearly says that if Zuffa, TKO. It clearly mentions them and no one associated with that company can have any involvement, promotional involvement in the program. Tyson Fury’s contract says exactly the same and has been signed.”

Hearn also named the parties he believes will host the event. “Who will be promoting this show is Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, Spencer Brown and Turki. We were all hesitant. We will all work on it,” he said. “It’s not that substantial of a deal that there will be some guest promoter because contractually it can’t work like that.”

Alalshikh factor

Competing accounts involve Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, who is financing and directing the fight. Hearn said the decision on where the competition would take place rested with Alalshikh, who played a key role in the biggest recent sporting events of the season in Riyad and owned Ring magazine.

White is the closest promoter to Alalshikh. He runs Zuffa Boxing as the main promoter, and the venture is being financed by Alalshikh through Riyadh Season and Sela, a Saudi company that works with TKO Group Holdings on promotions. White previously fought Canelo Alvarez against Terence Crawford in 2025, another event at Alalshikh, ahead of Zuffa Boxing’s formal launch.

Warren, on the other hand, fell out with Alalshikh, Sela, Ring Magazine and TKO and in February filed a $1 billion lawsuit against TKO and Sela over the creation of Zuffa Boxing, claiming he should have been part of it. He continued to work with Alalshikh, including the fight against the Fury. Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on July 25, with Fury also expected to fight an interim fight before the two fighters meet. That the fight is scheduled for November and Netflix will broadcast it.

“We work with every promoter,” De La Hoya told Fighthype. “Even if it’s Dana White and Zuffa, as much as I hate it, let’s go. Why not? Because the fighters want this fight.

“Ryan wants this fight. He wants to fight Conor Benn. Well, yes. Hey, let’s do it. That’s what boxing is all about. You have to work with the promoters to make these fights happen.

“So I’m not going to get in the way of that. If that’s what Ryan wants, that’s what he’s going to get. It’s a matter of detail. It’s about making sure all parties are ecstatic.”

Ryan remains under contract with Golden Boy Promotions, meaning De La Hoya’s involvement will be required to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Benn became one of the first faces associated with Zuffa’s planned entry into boxing.

While De La Hoya has been openly critical of Dana White’s boxing ambitions in the past, he admitted that discussions between both sides will eventually become inevitable if the fight progresses.

“Absolutely,” De La Hoya replied when asked whether talks would eventually be necessary with White’s team. “At the end of the day, there has to be a conversation, and whether they like it or not, we might be on stage together a few feet away.

“Who knows what might happen? Maybe the press conference will be more stimulating than the fight itself because me and Dana White will be in it. Who knows? But I’m ready. You know me.”

The potential fight would mark one of the biggest fights available in the welterweight division and another example of rival promoters working together to deliver major events. For De La Hoya, personal differences seem secondary if they mean giving Garcia the opportunity he was looking for.

De La Hoya insists the focus must be on making the fight itself happen, regardless of who is involved behind the scenes.