Tyson Fury is abruptly shutting down talks of his November mega-fight with Anthony Joshua. Fury spoke to reporters on Wednesday at a pre-fight press conference in Thailand. The former champion insisted he does not care about the long-awaited British showdown. Fury takes on 46-year-old Polish veteran Mariusz Wach this Friday, July 24. The fight happens at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya.
The stakes are massive for the heavyweight division. Promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have made it clear that an upset loss for either fighter this week will instantly torpedo the agreed November fight. Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Fury claims his focus remains exclusively on Wach.
“Silly Mr Bodybuilder!” Fury shouted. He dismissed Joshua entirely during the media availability. He repeatedly told the press he had no interest in discussing the November matchup. This attitude aligns exactly with his Wednesday press conference quotes playing down the Joshua fight. Both heavyweights spent 2026 attempting to rebuild their careers after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. Fury ended a 16-month layoff just this past April. He secured a points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Friday’s event in Pattaya abandons traditional boxing broadcasting norms. The fight will happen strictly behind closed doors. Crews are recording the bout exclusively for Season 3 of his Netflix reality series, At Home with the Furys. There is no live stream. Organizers sold exactly 1,500 VIP tickets for the charity fundraiser. All proceeds go directly to homeless and starving children in Pattaya.
Wach is an incredibly durable test. He is best known for taking Wladimir Klitschko the full 12-round distance during a 2012 title challenge. He offers the exact profile Fury needs to gain rounds without significant knockout jeopardy. The WBC is even sanctioning a one-off belt for the occasion. They are officially creating the inaugural WBC Humanitarian title to present to the winner.
Mariusz Wach Looks to Torpedo the Mega-Fight
Wach sees an opportunity to play spoiler. He openly stated he believes Fury is too distracted by the Netflix filming and the looming Joshua matchup. He promised to “do my best to stop Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua from happening”.
A loss here ruins years of promotional groundwork. Hearn and Warren built this twin-tune-up week specifically to clear the final hurdles for November. If Wach pulls off the upset in Thailand on Friday, or if Prenga catches Joshua in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the highly anticipated British clash disappears entirely.