Mike Tyson Urges Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to Fight on Home Soil

Key Points

• Mike Tyson has urged Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to stage their long-awaited heavyweight fight in Britain, even though he is barred from entering the UK and may not be able to attend.
• Speaking to the Daily Mail at the Sugar Factory in New York’s Times Square, Tyson said both fighters are English, and their fans would travel regardless of the venue, making London the logical choice.
• Tyson spoke just hours after Fury posted on Instagram that the November 20 fight “doesn’t look like it’s going to happen” over a dispute involving Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s camp and Turki Alalshikh.
• Fury called Hearn and Joshua “disgusting, money-thirsty pieces of s***” and accused them of repeatedly taking money from Alalshikh while seeking more funds for the fight.
• Reports say Joshua’s contract requires the bout to take place in Britain, but talks have moved towards Madison Square Garden in New York, with Hearn seeking adjustments to the fighters’ purses because of tax issues.
• Tyson, 60, remains hopeful the fight will go ahead, praising Joshua’s recent comeback and saying both fighters still want to put on a great spectacle.
• Fury, 38, has fought twice since losing to Oleksandr Usyk for a second time in December 2024, while Joshua, 36, returned after a car crash that killed two close friends.
• The future of the “Battle of Britain” remains uncertain as the financial and contractual dispute continues over whether the fight will take place in the US, Britain or not at all.

London (Britain Today News) August 24, 2026 – The prospect of a blockbuster heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury hangs in the balance after Tyson Fury declared the fight “doesn’t look like it’s going to happen”, while boxing legend Mike Tyson has insisted the bout must be staged on British soil regardless of whether he can attend.

Why is Mike Tyson insisting the Joshua-Fury fight must be in Britain?

Mike Tyson has rubbish suggestions that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury should meet in New York, urging the British rivals to clash on home soil even if it means he is barred from sitting ringside.

“It’s going to be a great fight, it’s going to be great for boxing… even though I can’t go – I’m barred from London – I think London should get the fight.”

said Tyson, who is blocked from visiting the UK due to his criminal past. The former heavyweight champion was jailed for rape in 1992 and has also been convicted of assault, cocaine possession and driving under the influence.

What did Mike Tyson say about Joshua and Fury fighting in the US?

Tyson told the Daily Mail:

“They’re both English, and if they come here, all the English people are going to come anyway. So you’re home already, let’s do it there!”

He added:

“Everybody that [wants] to be there, they’re going to come to the United States – it’s going to be full of English people. It’s just going to be just like it is over there. There ain’t going to be many Americans there because they’ll sell it out. All the English – very few Americans – sold it out when I fought Frank Bruno [twice in Las Vegas].”

Where and when was the Joshua-Fury fight originally scheduled?

Joshua and Fury are understood to have signed contracts to fight on November 20 in New York City, with Madison Square Garden touted as the venue. However, news that the fight would not be held in Britain sparked a fierce backlash among fans and pundits alike.

Why did Tyson Fury claim the fight might not happen?

On Friday, Fury claimed the fight “doesn’t look like it’s going to happen” in an explosive rant at his rival and Joshua’s “money-thirsty” promoter Eddie Hearn. In a post on Instagram, Fury, 38, said:

“Quick update: Doesn’t look like they’re going to sign the fight, doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. All because Eddie Hearn and that want more money.”

What accusations did Fury make against Eddie Hearn and Joshua?

Fury continued:

“They’ve already had that much money off of Turki in the last few years, Eddie and AJ. They’ve had boxing deals, darts deals, snooker deals; they’ve had everything. And yet they’ve had the audacity and cheek of flea-bitten rats to ask for more money from Turki, who’s given you everything combined in the last couple of years. You’re disgusting, money-thirsty pieces of s***. It is what it is, same old cliché a decade later, keep running, you little cowards.”

What is the contractual dispute over the fight venue?

Eddie Hearn revealed it was written into 36-year-old Joshua’s contract that the fight had to be staged in Britain – only for reports of an agreement to fight at New York’s Madison Square Garden to emerge this week. Hearn is in dispute with Saudi boxing mogul Turki Alalshikh over where the fight is staged after contracts were signed for the UK to host the event. Hearn said Joshua is pushing for more money, due to tax issues concerning the fight taking place in the United States.

“By staging the fight in America, Joshua receives less money than if it took place in the UK.”

Hearn said.

What is Mike Tyson’s current view on the fight’s prospects?

Tyson spoke during an event at Sugar Factory in New York’s Times Square, where he was promoting new Protein Sliders that he hopes can help people eat more healthily. The event kicked off just hours after Fury’s rant, and the 60-year-old remains hopeful that the fight with Joshua will happen.

“It’s going to be a great fight; it’s going to be great for boxing. And I think they both still have enough in them once they get the desire.”

He said.
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How have Joshua and Fury performed recently?

Fury has fought only twice since he suffered a second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. After another brief retirement, the 38-year-old has picked up wins over Arslanbek Makhmudov and, most recently, Mariusz Wach. Joshua, meanwhile, recently returned to the ring for the first time since surviving a car crash that killed two of his closest friends. He beat the unheralded Kristian Prenga, twice climbing off the canvas in round one before securing a second-round knockout.

What did Tyson say about Joshua’s desire to fight?

Tyson told the Daily Mail:

“People think they lose because they can’t fight. They lose because they lose their desire. I’m sure [Joshua] would get back up for this fight. He’s had exciting fights; [recently] the guy dropped him, he got back up, and he clocked the guy. That was very exciting.”

What happens next for the Joshua-Fury showdown?

The boxing world now awaits clarity on whether the “Battle of Britain” will proceed in the US, UK, or collapse entirely amid the financial and contractual dispute. With Fury’s public outburst and Hearn’s insistence on contractual and financial terms being met, the path to November 20 remains fraught with uncertainty.