No, Anthony Joshua isn't ducking Tyson Fury

Turki Alalshikh sure knows how to put on a show.

Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov had all the trappings of the big heavyweight events boxing fans have come to love.

About 50,000 people packed into Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London Saturday night to watch the return of native son Tyson Fury to the ring, and Turki gave them, and the millions of people streaming Netflix at home, something to see.

It was the first time Fury had fought in England since he beat Derek Chisora in that same stadium in 2022.

Looking at the stage set up from television, I probably wouldn't want to watch a boxing match live from a stadium that large unless I was on the ground floor. Those sight lines looked awful.

But from the comfort of my recliner, the atmosphere for the fight looked amazing.

Fury, ever the showman, sent a heartfelt tribute to recently deceased British boxing legend Ricky Hatton during his ring walk as fireworks enveloped the massive soccer stadium.

But that is where the fireworks ended for the night as Fury won in an absolute snoozer of a fight, capping off what was a night where the level of boxing on display wasn't as compelling as the potential matchups that could come down the line.

Everything under Turki Alalshikh's auspices went in his favor. Everything except one.

The whole night, the broadcast was building up to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally announcing that they were going to fight after a decade of avoiding each other in the ring. The fact that the two biggest draws in heavyweight boxing, not only in Britain, but also globally, have never fought is absolutely criminal. So when Matchroom CEO Eddie Hearn was seen ringside, the night felt like it could be something special.

When Anthony Joshua himself appeared not too much time later, it really seemed like it was going to happen. Turki had orchestrated a made for TV event on Netflix in front of millions of viewers.

However, the made for television moment was not meant to be as Anthony Joshua declined to agree to a fight, despite Fury, ever the showman, goading him into a verbal agreement using his best Macho Man Randy Savage impression.

Whatever you think of Joshua's response to being called out from the middle of the ring and not answering the bell (more on this later), Turki was robbed of the moment around which he had seemingly orchestrated this whole night.

The main event was an absolute snoozer. The co-main event featuring fellow British star Connor Benn vs. American Regis Prograis (who retired right after the fight and finally admitted that he was injured going into the fight) wasn't exactly a boxing classic either, though the hype around the match was enormous due to the friction between Benn, Hearn and Turki as the latter poached Benn from the former with a reported $15 million deal to fight on this card.

That seemed to be the theme of the night. The immense hype from outside the ring never translated to entertaining boxing inside of it.

The best match of the event was the broadcast's first, Frazer Clarke vs. Justis Huni. That heavyweight match pit a hard puncher with a granite chin in Clarke vs a smooth operator who showcased superior footwork and combination punches. Huni won the fight on volume, outhitting his opponent by 37 punches.

The other fights were either sloppy or uninteresting or both. But between the commentators, the Netflix hosts and even Turki himself, it felt like all of its would be worth it if we got the moment that never came.

The Tyson Fury/Anthony Joshua exchange in full... #FuryMakhmudovpic.twitter.com/sP1qyQ7Jgf

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) April 11, 2026

Anthony Joshua makes the smart move, refusing to commit to Tyson Fury fight

On the surface, it looks like Anthony Joshua just very publicly ducked Tyson Fury by not only not accepting a fight (and guaranteed eight-figure payday), but by also refusing to even enter the ring on Saturday night.

Fury, fresh off the high of his win, seemed ready to fight Anthony Joshua that night as he called out his fellow British heavyweight from the center of the ring. Joshua had been ringside the entire night, at times chatting with Turki Alalshikh himself, sometimes filming the main event on his phone.

He and Hearn had inserted themselves in the center of the festivities, but the payoff never came. Turki wants Fury and Joshua to fight later this year in Wembley Stadium, which can hold upwards on 95,000 people for a boxing match.

It looked bad for Joshua, on the surface, but in reality, tens of millions of people just watched Tyson Fury fight a tune up for 12-rounds against Makhmudov. Anthony Joshua deserves the same opportunity.

Joshua did the world a favor when he broke Jake Paul's jaw in two places last December, but he hasn't had a real fight since he himself was knocked out by Daniel Dubois back in 2024.

Fury got to knock off the ring rust in a glorified sparring session Saturday as Makhmudov was clearly just happy to be there. He never gave Fury any trouble whatsoever. His come-forward style and constant hugging made the main event the worst bout of the night.

That style is also tailor made for Fury, who would prefer to box off his back foot the whole night if you let him. And yet Fury never really tried to end the fight early, helping carry an outclassed Makhmdov to an inevitable ending.

That's exactly what Anthony Joshua needs. A tune up fight against a lesser opponent that Joshua is sure to school and come out clean.

Luckily, Eddie Hearn has a suggestion.

"We need a warmup fight before we fight Tyson Fury, because AJ is coming off the accident, he is rehabilitating his body," Hearn said in the leadup to the Fury matchup. "We will take Deontay Wilder as that warm-up fight, and then we'll fight Tyson Fury in December."

Wilder, the American heavyweight who won his comeback fight last weekend in London against Derek Chisora, also has a long history with Anthony Joshua and, of course, Tyson Fury.

Eddie Hearn sometimes says things he doesn't believe, so it's hard to know whether he truly thinks of Joshua vs Wilder as a warmup fight, considering how long Wilder has been calling for them to lace 'em up against one another.

But whether its Wilder, or a more reasonable matchup, Joshua absolutely needs a tune up for all the reasons Hearn says he does. We just watched Tyson Fury get paid millions to fight a tune up, so it's only fair.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 5:51 PM.