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Anthony Joshua focused on Kristian Prenga as Tyson Fury prepares for Mariusz Wach clash - 'Anyone can be there on Sunday'
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Published 23/07/2026 at 22:27 GMT+1
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Anthony Joshua refused to be drawn on the potential attendance of his rival Tyson Fury as Joshua prepares for his fight this weekend ahead of a bigger bout before 2026 is out. Fury also has his own weekend obligations.
Highlights: Usyk beats Fury by unanimous decision to retain titles after engrossing fight
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Joshua takes on Kristian Prenga on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, in his first competitive action since the death of two close friends in a car crash in Nigeria last year.
Joshua is the heavy favourite as he takes on his Albanian opponent in what is slated to be a warm-up clash before an all-British extravaganza against Fury later this year.
However, speaking on Thursday at a press conference before his upcoming fight, he would not be drawn on the potential attendance of Fury for his fight.
Joshua said: ”We can't disrespect my opponent here. We don't want to talk about Tyson Fury, respectfully.
”I've done all the media I can about what the future holds but our focus is him and his team. Let's focus on what the job is.
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No Filter: Usyk delivers masterclass to beat Fury and retain titles in epic rematch
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”Anyone can be there on Saturday. The more tickets sold the better. But we're in the ring, it's just me and that's where my focus is.”
He added: "We've been working since January, working hard, keeping my head down and aligning all my stars.
"I'm fully focused. I understand there's a big picture. The goal is to conquer the universe, right? But first we must conquer Earth. And this is my target here."
While Joshua defeated Jake Paul last year, he has not beaten a truly established professional fighter since Otto Wallin in December 2023.
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‘I’m Mr Slim now’ - Fury prepares for Wach clash
Fury has his own potential banana skin when he takes on 46-year-old fighter Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday.
The fight will not be shown live as the 37-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion fights in front of 1,500 fans.
Weighing in at 18st 13lb (120kg) - 26lb fewer than Wach at 20st 11lb (132kg) - Fury said: "I'm Mr Slim now. I'm delighted to be here and there are fans here from all over the world.”
Both Fury and Joshua are now deposed former world champions of the heavyweight division, with their proposed fight later in 2026 set to be perhaps the biggest draw of their careers in terms of box office performance.
Fury and Joshua were champions before they met Oleksandr Usyk, both of them losing the first clash and then their rematch.
Usyk was the better fighter in all four fights as he became undisputed heavyweight champion, the first of the four-belt era, after beating Joshua (twice in 2022) and then Fury (twice in 2024).
Between Joshua and Fury, he defeated Daniel Dubois in 2023, and did so again in 2025 as he became the undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
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