Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will face each other before the end of the year, but Tyson Fury is also on the champion’s hit list.

Having only fought Jake Paul since September 2024, Joshua booked the fight as a “warm-up” ahead of his legacy-defining talk with Fury later in the year, with Albanian Kristian Prenga selected as the opponent for the July match.

Meanwhile, Fury is also reportedly considering a fight ahead of his fight with Joshua, but no opponents have been scouted at this stage.

Enter reigning WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley who said Sport of the Sun that “The Gypsy King” and Oleksandr Usyk are his ideal next opponents.

“His [Tyson Fury] or Usyk [would be ideal next]. Either way, I don’t care, let me know. Forthright [Warren]tell me who it is, just call one and let me know. I don’t mind, I’ll say it.

“I’ve said it 100 times, I want to compete with the best. I don’t know how much I can prove it in fights or in upcoming fights, or however I maneuver and cope – I want to compete with the best and prove myself.

“At every level, no matter how long in my career, I felt like this was his ceiling. So I thought, let me really go and find out what my ceiling is.”

Although Usyk has stated that he wants to determine the winner of this weekend’s Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois fight, recent events suggest that boxing mogul Turki Alalshikh will instead insist on facing mandatory challenger for the WBC title, Agit Kabayel, after his fight against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven later this month. If these talks go well, Fury will be Wardley’s number one target.

If “The Gypsy King” does want the fight before Joshua, Wardley’s offer – assuming he beats Dubois and has no mandatory challenger – creates both a chance to add weight to “AJ’s” world title shot and a huge risk that could ruin a huge fight by losing to one of the most perilous heavyweights in the world.

As Morrell (12-1, 9 KO) officially arrives in the UK to face Zak Chelli next Saturday, the Cuban featherlight heavyweight contender has one single goal: a second fight against the man who handed him the only defeat of his career, but not before Morrell left an indelible mark on his opponent.

“I want the rematch 100%,” Morrell said Fighting Hub TVdismissing loss of decision as the final result.

Concealed beating

While the scorecards favored Benavidez in the 2025 Las Vegas clash, the images from that night tell a different story, one of hidden brutality. Observers noticed a surprising strategy: Morrell often attacked for long periods of time, appearing passive. But when he decided to fight, the impact was devastating.

Morrell knocked out Benavidez twice and scored spotless knockdowns, something that often happens in regular recaps.

Photos from the post-fight press conference showed Benavidez with severe facial swelling and cuts, looking what some observers described as Frankenstein’s monster, while Morrell remained relatively unmarked. It was a strange lively. A tactical winner bearing the physical scars of the loser’s precision power.

For Morrell, this weekend’s match against Chelli (16-3, 8 KO) at Coop Live is a necessary strategic turnaround. This isn’t just a fight to ‘deal’ with Callum Smith’s dismissal; it is an expression of permanence and intention to remain at an elite level on a major international stage.

“Every fight is hazardous. When you step into the ring, you put your life at risk,” Morrell said about the fight with Chelli.

Why Manchester matters

Facing Zak Chelli comes with a different pressure. Chelli, a tough former British champion, loves to disrupt the technical flow. Morrell must demonstrate that he has adapted to the psychological and environmental challenges of fighting overseas.

A dominant, spotless victory on Saturday keeps the physical toll of their first meeting fresh in the boxing world’s memory. By combining dynamic performances with visual proof of his strength, David Morrell is making sure the boxing world knows that Benavidez cannot avoid a sequel. For Morrell, the road to redemption and unquestioned recognition begins in the Co-op Live arena.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are finally set to meet, assuming each emerges unscathed from their low-risk warm-up fights.

Now Francis Ngannou, who faced both fighters, has updated his predictions ahead of the biggest fight in British boxing history.

Ngannou made his boxing debut against then-reigning WBC heavyweight ruler Fury in October 2023, and the former UFC heavyweight champion impressed by defeating “The Gypsy King” in the third round before losing a controversial split decision.

This performance gave the Cameroonian a chance to fight Joshua, but “AJ” was less understanding and showed the difference between a multi-disciplined fighter and a stalwart boxer, brutally eliminating “The Predator” in two rounds.

Although despite the nature of those losses, when asked about a potential fight a few weeks ago, Ngannou wasn’t sure how Joshua-Fury would play out.

“I think it’s a great fight. How will it go? It’s a fighting game – no one knows what will happen.

“They are both elite fighters, but we all know how tricky Fury can be. He managed to defeat him.”

But now that the fight rumors have turned into a signed agreement, Ngannou has offered a more analytical prediction Sky Sports Boxingbelieving that Fury has a better chance the longer the fight goes on.

“I think it’s very close at this level, anyone can win. It depends on how the fight goes. I think if there’s a decision, I’ll choose Fury. If it’s like a knockout, I think Joshua has a chance at the beginning of the rounds [fight]but when it comes to the fight, it will be more in Fury’s favor.”

Joshua returns to the ring on July 25 against Albania’s Kristian Prengi, while Fury is also looking for his own “tune-up” ahead of the highly anticipated showdown.