Tyson Fury has gone on hiatus again after returning to the ring last week. The former heavyweight champion stepped back into action in front of the London crowd after ending a 15-month retirement. He faced Russian fighter Arslanbek Makhmudov and, in the process, controlled the bout with his experience, earning a unanimous decision victory. However, that night, Fury turned his attention to Anthony Joshua, who was sitting cageside. Without hesitation, Fury issued a “challenge” to Joshua, and Joshua accepted it.

Yet, what ‘The Gypsy King’ did not expect was a suspension that followed soon after. Despite completing the 12-round fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov without any reported injury updates, the British Boxing Board of Control placed Tyson Fury under a medical suspension, which bars him from competing.

Tyson Fury hit with medical suspension following bout

As per BBBoC rules, fighters competing under its jurisdiction can be temporarily suspended under Section 5.4(a) of Regulation 5.

“No Boxer shall box in a contest within six clear days from the date of his last contest.”

However, there are exceptions to this rule in cases involving late replacements or short-notice fights.

“The Board or Area Council shall have power to waive this restriction in cases where a late substitute is required, but this must be subject to the Boxer having won his last contest within the first two rounds. No boxer shall be permitted to engage in more than one contest on any one day.”

Now, coming back to the situation, the positive news is that Tyson Fury’s suspension lasts only six days, as he is not injured. This is quite normal in combat sports, where commissions often issue short medical suspensions to protect fighters’ safety, especially after demanding bouts like Fury’s fights against Oleksandr Usyk.

As a result, this keeps a potential fight against Anthony Joshua on track. Fury recently returned from retirement to face Joshua after spending more than a year out of action following back-to-back losses to Usyk. However, ‘AJ’ still wants the fight. In fact, Joshua’s manager recently told the media.

“We’ll fight Tyson Fury in December,” said Eddie Hearn.

At the same time, boxing promoter Kalle Sauerland has also outlined his own timeline for a Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight, pointing to a “September/October” window. This matchup timeline makes sense, especially as Anthony Joshua is currently recovering from a motor vehicle accident that tragically claimed the lives of two of his teammates.

Because of this, Joshua’s team reportedly wants him to take a “warm-up” fight first before he faces Tyson Fury later in the year. But the question remains: who would ‘AJ’ face in that warm-up bout?

Who will Anthony Joshua face before the Tyson Fury showdown?

Anthony Joshua is not rushing into anything, which also makes sense given the challenges he has faced over the past few months. After a difficult period following his return to form, Joshua reconnected with his roots during a visit to Nigeria.

However, his trip to his motherland did not go as planned. Despite that setback, he is now working to overcome his sorrow and pain as he looks to restart his career. He now targets an ultimate showdown against Tyson Fury, but before that, he plans an “appetizer” matchup against Deontay Wilder as a tune-up before his biggest fight.

“We need a warm-up fight before we fight Fury,” Hearn told reporters this week. “AJ’s coming off the accident, he’s rehabilitating his body, etc. We’ll take Deontay Wilder as that warm-up fight and then we’ll fight Fury in December.”

Indeed, fans and fighters have waited years for the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight. However, the matchup has fallen through multiple times over the past few years. Now, with ‘The Gypsy King’ back on a winning streak and Joshua also building momentum, both men move closer to finally making it happen, with one fight potentially standing in the way before Joshua’s career-defining clash against Fury.

So, do you think Anthony Joshua wins that fight? Drop your take below.