Usyk backs Joshua to beat Fury, helps him prepare for British heavyweight clash

Oleksandr Usyk has turned one of boxing’s strangest rivalries into a working alliance, backing Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury and joining the plan to prepare him for the biggest all-British heavyweight fight in years. Usyk, the only fighter to beat both men twice, said in April that he would help Joshua in camp and told Sky Sports, “AJ will beat Fury!” He also described Joshua as a friend, a sharp shift from the years when the two were rivals at the top of the division.

Usyk’s value to Joshua is not sentimental. It is tactical. He has spent 24 rounds solving each man and knows the pace, distance and mental strain required to beat them over a long night. For Joshua, that means more than just a better training partner. It means having someone in the room who understands how to keep Fury from settling into rhythm, how to make the bigger man reset after feints and counters, and how to stop a heavyweight fight from becoming a test of patience on Fury’s terms. Eddie Hearn said Usyk’s presence has given Joshua an “unbelievable lift.”

The broader fight is now moving toward a late-2026 date after years of false starts. Hearn has said the matchup is “signed, sealed and delivered,” with the bout expected in the UK and realistic stadium options including Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ring magazine has targeted the contest for the fourth quarter of 2026, while Hearn had previously pointed to November. Fury, meanwhile, returned to the ring and beat Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11, 2026, and has also been reported to be considering another fight before facing Joshua.

Joshua’s road to Fury will run through Riyadh first. He is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga on July 25, 2026, before the long-awaited clash with Fury. His last fight came on December 19, 2025, when he knocked out Jake Paul in Miami in the sixth round. That came only months after a serious car crash in Nigeria in December 2025 that killed two of his close friends, a personal trauma that has hung over the build-up to this late-career meeting. With Usyk now inside Joshua’s camp, the fight has gained a rare twist: one former conqueror is helping Joshua prepare to solve the other.