Tyson Fury will return to the ring on July 24 in Thailand against former world title challenger Mariusz Wach — a fight announced just one day before Anthony Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia, and one that has left fans baffled.
The 37-year-old Briton, who ended a 16-month layoff in April by schooling Arslanbek Makhmudov over 12 straight rounds, will face the 46-year-old Polish veteran in Pattaya. The bout will air on Netflix, with all proceeds going to local charities. The WBC will also award Fury their inaugural humanitarian belt.
“Tyson Fury announces July 24 Thailand fight against Mariusz Wach, night before Anthony Joshua's bout, sparking fan outrage.”
But the reaction from boxing fans was immediate and scathing. “The name says it all, ‘Wack’,” one wrote. Another asked: “Is this a wind-up?” A third added: “Just checked the diary it definitely says today is the 30th June, not April 1st 😂😂.”
One fan remarked: “This is the genuine worst fight I’ve ever seen be made. [The] man’s nearly fifty and has lost to [Dillian] Whyte, [Martin] Bakole, [Frazer] Clarke, [Moses] Itauma, Makhmudov and [Jarrell] Miller… JUST TO NAME A FEW! Big big Tyson fan but come on?! What was the thinking behind this?” Another simply said: “Absolute joke of an opponent 😂.”
Team Fury’s choice of Wach as a final warm-up for a potential Q4 showdown with Joshua is perplexing. Stylistically, Wach is nothing like Joshua, and he is well over a decade past his physical prime. Fury’s camp had already been criticised for choosing Makhmudov as a comeback opponent, and this latest announcement has only deepened the scepticism.
Joshua’s own fight against Prenga takes place the following night in Saudi Arabia, setting up the long-awaited clash between the two British heavyweights — if both emerge unscathed. Whether facing a 46-year-old who has lost six of his last seven fights provides the necessary preparation for Fury remains the question fans are asking.