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2026 looks to be the year when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will finally share a boxing ring.

The pair of former heavyweight champions are set to lock horns in the second half of 2026 — likely in September — after both men compete in separate fights earlier in the new year. 

Joshua's return is being planned for an Feb. 14 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told Uncrowned. That date, however, is dependent on the British star coming through his fight with Jake Paul on Dec. 19 in Miami unscathed.

Fury is also set to end his retirement in 2026 and return to action, likely in April in the United Kingdom.

Opponents for both are still yet to be determined.

Saudi Arabian fight financier Turki Alalshikh, who will put on all three fights, heavily hinted toward these plans on the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn 2 broadcast. Alalshikh said that he is planning to stage "one of the great fights in the history of boxing" in London in September.

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), a two-time former heavyweight champion, hasn't fought since suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the former of those fights being to crown boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years. Despite Fury declaring himself as retired, sources close to the situation tell Uncrowned that he is still training.

Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), a former two-time unified champion, was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024. Injuries and elbow surgery in May have kept "AJ" out of the ring ever since, but he'll return next week in Miami against Paul, in what is essentially a tune-up fight for a big 2026.

An all-British heavyweight showdown between Joshua and "The Gypsy King" has been discussed for more than a decade. At one point, the pair held all four heavyweight titles, yet still it didn't materialize. Now, with both nearing the end of their storied careers, they look set to deliver what the British public has long desired.