Fury stops Wach in Thailand to close in on Joshua fight

PATTAYA, Thailand — Tyson Fury edged closer to a blockbuster heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua after defeating Poland's Mariusz Wach by technical knock-out on Friday (Saturday, Manila time, but said he was "not convinced" his fellow Briton would face him.

Fury, 37, outclassed Wach in front of 1,500 spectators in the Thai resort city of Pattaya in a bout that was not broadcast live on television.

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Fury chipped away relentlessly at the 46-year-old until he was pulled out by his corner in the seventh round.

It was Fury's second win in as many contests this year as he returns from a 16-month lay-off.

Attentions now turn to fellow two-time heavyweight champion Joshua's bout on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, against Albania's Kristian Prenga.

Should the 36-year-old triumph, as he is expected to, it will set up a long-awaited clash with his compatriot Fury.

"I got through my test. Let's see if (Joshua) gets through his test," Fury said.

"In Tottenham in front of 70,000 people, he never had the guts to get in the ring and face me. Let's see if he ever does. I'm not convinced.

"Hopefully the next big fight is signed next week," he added.

Fury quashed rumours that he would travel to Jeddah to face off with Joshua and potentially announce their long-awaited showdown, saying he was instead "going home to my wife and kids".

Joshua's meeting with Prenga will be his first professional fight since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

His last competitive appearance in the ring was his knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.