Plans for Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to finally meet in the ring could hinge on one unlikely figure: pop star Dua Lipa. On Monday, it was confirmed that Joshua and Fury will collide in a Battle of Britain that has been a decade in the making. While a final date and venue are still to be confirmed, contracts have been signed, with the showdown to be streamed live on Netflix in November.
Warm-Up Fight and Hurdles
There are one or two hurdles left to clear. Joshua will have a warm-up fight in July against Kristian Prenga, a little-known Albanian heavyweight selected to help the two-time world champion shake off any ring rust. Joshua is expected to make easy work of Prenga, who has never fought anyone close to the caliber of the former Olympian, setting up his meeting with Fury.
Alalshikh's Influence
But there could be another obstacle to overcome. Turki Alalshikh, one of boxing’s most influential shot-callers, has been at the heart of the two-fight deal, with a rematch between the British giants likely to follow next year. The Saudi financier is a huge fan of London-born singer Lipa and has stipulated that she must perform at the fight ahead of the main event, according to Sky Sports reports.
Boxing’s Saudi backers are not short of funds, and their cause may be helped by the fact that the 'Levitating' hitmaker is a boxing fan. 'I love boxing in my spare time,' she said in 2018. 'I like doing it for fitness, I do it just to kind of clear my mind. I really enjoy it and I like to watch boxing as well.'
Previous Musical Acts
Shows backed by Alalshikh have brought in some of the biggest names in music. Liam Gallagher performed at Wembley Stadium before Joshua’s 2024 world title fight with Daniel Dubois. Eminem appeared as a special guest artist for Terence Crawford’s fight the same year, while Busta Rhymes was on stage before the historic undisputed bout between Arthur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. 50 Cent joined Chris Eubank Jr for an iconic ringwalk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of his rematch with Conor Benn last November.
Recent Fights
Joshua has not fought since his December victory over Jake Paul, breaking the YouTuber’s jaw in the sixth round. Just days later, the Briton was involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his two close friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami. Fury, meanwhile, returned to action after a 14-month retirement in April, comfortably outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov.
