Frank Warren says the Daniel Dubois-Fabio Wardley rematch is set to take place in the fall, and Queensberry is already discussing the possibility of moving the fight to a stadium after their success in the first fight.

Wardley activated his rematch clause just days after losing the WBO heavyweight title to Dubois in a hard-fought fight that many fans saw as an early Fight of the Year contender.

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Last updated: 19/05/2026 at 12:04

Anthony Joshua’s next opponent believes he can still ruin one of the biggest heavyweight fights that British boxing has spent more than a decade trying to build.

Kristian Prenga says the long-awaited clash between Joshua and Tyson Fury will never happen when he steps into the ring with the former world champion later this year.

Speaking exclusively to World Boxing News, the heavyweight outsider insisted that all current discussions about Joshua vs. Fury are premature.

“I understand, but he made a massive mistake again by choosing me,” Prenga told WBN.

“What’s worse is that it will cost him the fight against Fury. Maybe Fury will fight me instead?”

Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury

For years, boxing fans have been waiting for Joshua and Fury to finally settle their rivalry in the ring.

The fight endured failed negotiations, a title loss, promotional disputes and repeated falls before both sides finally began to inch closer to signing a deal later that year.

However, as WBN previously noted, staging interim fights for both heavyweights carries significant risks given the punishment each fighter has already suffered in their careers.

Joshua went down four times before being stopped by Daniel Dubois, and Fury has repeatedly hit the canvas against Deontay Wilder, Francis Ngannou and Oleksandr Usyk in recent years.

Eddie Hearn admitted as much himself when discussing Joshua’s return plans with Sky Sports.

“In my opinion, if either fighter loses, you won’t be able to fight this fight,” Hearn said, referring to the risks associated with Fury fighting Joshua and the need for both fighters to take transition fights first.

Fury is currently considering a return to the ring in August ahead of his fight with Joshua, while the former unified champion is already committed to his own comeback fight against Prengi.

A timing like this makes a Fury-Joshua clash before December increasingly unlikely, assuming both heavyweights make it to the fight intact at all.

Kristian Prenga’s warning

As WBN has previously stated, Prenga will enter the fight as an afterthought as part of Joshua’s broader plan.

The US-based Albanian, who has 20 KOs out of 20 wins, was selected for a reason and now must prove that he poses a much greater threat than Eddie Hearn clearly expects.

At this point in Joshua’s career, nothing can be considered routine anymore.

The Londoner has been through too many wars and too many setbacks to assume anything is certain, especially in the heavyweight division where one blow can ruin months of planning.

Prenga may go into the fight as a major outsider, but the knockout artist is 6ft 1in, has power and arrives with the full confidence that he can change the direction of British heavyweight boxing overnight.

“That’s my plan, but honestly, I’m just focusing on preparing for the fight with Joshua and then we’ll see what happens.”

When asked directly how he sees Joshua vs. Fury going if the fight does eventually happen, Prenga completely dismissed the possibility.

“I don’t know, but that fight will never happen after my fight with Joshua.”

Heavyweight danger

The heavyweight division has repeatedly shown how quickly major plans can fall apart.

Joshua and Fury were once expected to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship, before years of delays, failures and boxing politics continued to push the rivalry further apart.

Now the fight is finally approaching again, there is growing concern that another defeat could completely destroy the event.

Fury’s former opponent Otto Wallin recently told WBN that he still finds this fight complex to predict because of how vulnerable both heavyweights have looked in recent years.

“Joshua obviously has a forceful punch and Fury is a very good fighter, so it’s an intriguing fight,” Wallin explained to World Boxing News.

Despite his confidence, Prenga still showed respect for both British heavyweights and rejected suggestions that they were too ancient to fight seriously together.

“Not really. They may not be at the top of their game anymore, but they’re still two of the best heavyweights in the world.”

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

This weekend at the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven clash in one of the strangest heavyweight title fights in contemporary boxing history.

Usyk enters the ring as the former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion, undefeated in 24 fights. He is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of this era. Verhoeven, although widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time, only had one professional boxing fight.

It’s no surprise that the current champion is the clear favorite, but can the Peter Fury-trained kickboxer from the Netherlands actually win? These are the key questions if the unthinkable happens and Verhoeven manages to shake up the heavyweight division like never before.

Will Verhoeven become heavyweight champion?

Verhoeven will become world heavyweight champion if he defeats Usyk and wins the controversial WBC belt. However, there will be no unification immediately, even though the Ukrainian also holds IBF and WBA titles.

Each sanctioning body has taken a different stance in this fight. The WBC fully supports the contest, much to the disapproval of fans, analysts and challengers. The WBA will consider Usyk’s victory a successful defense, but if he loses, the championship committee will meet to decide on further steps. Verhoeven will not become a champion in the ring because he is not currently ranked in the organization.

Similarly, the IBF granted Usyk a special exception to take the fight. However, if he loses, the belt will immediately be considered vacant.

Where is Usyk heading?

There are no reports or indications of a rematch clause, although a second fight could happen even if it is not contracted. In truth, the great Ukrainian didn’t have many other options on the board, which is such a clear favorite that a loss would not only dramatically change the landscape of the division, but also affect his legacy.

Fights against top contenders like Agit Kabayel and Moses Itauma would lose a lot of interest without belts on the line. So retirement would be a stern consideration – at 39, the southpaw wants three more fights, but that could be cut down to one.

Who benefits the most?

Outside of Verhoeven, there are a number of top heavyweights in the division who would benefit almost immediately. Regular WBA champion Murat Gassiev has a chance to become a full champion, and the winner of the Richard Torrez Jr vs. Frank Sanchez fight, which is on the card as the final IBF eliminator, would be first in line to fight for the vacant IBF belt.

Mandatory challenger for the WBC title Kabayel may be pushing for a fight with Verhoeven as he is currently scheduled to face Usyk. The youthful Itauma also holds a prime position with a number of sanctioning bodies, meaning his path to a world title could accelerate dramatically.

Finally, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could see their signed year-end fight take on even more importance, with promoters and sanctioning bodies potentially influencing the image of a vacant belt or top ranking position.

Would this be the biggest surprise in heavyweight history?

Chances-wise, there were more outsiders than Verhoeven, but given the absurdity, Usyk’s legacy and Verhoeven’s inexperience, it probably would have been.

There will always be Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson, Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall stunning Lennox Lewis, and even Andy Ruiz Jr stopping Anthony Joshua in recent times. But most importantly, they were all established professionals who had beaten established professionals. The main event on Saturday is a completely different scenario.