Joshua signs deal to face Fury in all-British grudge match

Joshua will make his ring return following a car crash that killed two close friends against Albania’s Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia in July.

The 36-year-old’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said that a deal to then fight Fury had been agreed after years of speculation and false starts.

“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!” Hearn said on Instagram.

“The biggest piece of business we’ve ever done but more importantly the one we’ve always wanted. Biggest year of AJ’s career coming up, the comeback is on.”

No date or venue has been announced but the bout is expected to take place in November and be shown on Netflix.

Joshua escaped relatively unscathed after a collision that killed Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele in Nigeria in December, shortly after his most recent fight, a sixth-round knockout of YouTube star Jake Paul.

“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and this is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said, referring to the bout against Prenga in Riyadh on July 25.

Prenga has 20 wins — all by knockout — in his 21 fights as a professional, but has yet to face an opponent anywhere near the class of the 2012 Olympic champion.

Joshua, a former Olympic champion, and Fury are both two-time world champions.

Fury, 37, made his comeback after a 16-month retirement two weeks ago with a unanimous points victory over Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Both Joshua and Fury have lost twice to the current king of the heavyweight division, Ukranian Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua has a record of 29 wins, including 26 by knock-out, and four defeats, including two KOs, in his 33 fights.

Fury’s record is 35 wins, including 24 KOs, one draw and two defeats in 38 bouts.