Anthony Joshua vs. Christine Peringa announced as Tyson Fury fight begins
Anthony Joshua will fight Christian Peringa this summer, it has been announced, as “AJ” prepares for a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.
Joshua will box in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25, it was confirmed on Monday.
A press release from Matchroom made no reference to Fury, but promotion head Eddie Hearn did free up others this month that “AJ” will likely face before taking on Fury. Hearn also hinted that such a warm-up contest would take place this summer.
And the opponent in question will be the relative unknown Peringa, a 35-year-old Albanian with a professional record of 20-1 (20 KOs). Meanwhile, Joshua has his record at 29-4 (26 KOs).
Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist, last fought in December, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in six rounds in Miami. Ten days later, Joshua survived a fatal car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his colleagues: Sina Gami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Since then, Joshua has been training in his native Ukraine with former rival Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk outlasted Joshua in 2021 and 2022 before doing so twice against Fury in 2024.
Joshua, 36, and Fury, 37, have been linked for years and even signed a deal to fight in 2021, when each was the British world heavyweight champion. However, the bout ended when Fury’s rival, Deontay Wilder, threatened legal action, leading to a trilogy bout with the “Gipsy King”. Roush moved to stop Wilder a second time.
But the Joshua bout has long eluded fight fans – until now, it seems. It’s likely that Joshua vs. Paringa is part of a deal that will see AJ box Fury later in 2026.
