Fury vs Joshua in Jeopardy as Ex-Champion Warns Fight May Be Canceled

A former world heavyweight champion has cast fresh doubt on December’s blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Frank Bruno told Tony Bellew that Fury may be carrying an injury serious enough to cancel the bout.

The fight is scheduled for December 11, 2026, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Netflix is streaming the event as the centerpiece of its push into live boxing.

Promoters for both men have tried for years to make this fight happen.

Previous attempts collapsed over money, timing, and contractual disputes.

This time, it appeared to be locked in.

Then came Bruno’s comments on the Fight Your Corner podcast.

“I looked at him the other day and I think someone was talking to me in the gym that he’s got some injury, which may stop him from going into the fight with Anthony Joshua,” Bruno said.

“And having that on your head ain’t nice.”

Bruno did not specify the nature or severity of the injury.

He spoke to Bellew, a former cruiserweight champion who fought at the highest level.

Bellew responded with a different theory.

“I do think Tyson Fury is the master of the mind games,” Bellew said.

“He’s going to be saying things. Yeah, he’s very, very good at it. Very, very good at the mind games.”

Bruno acknowledged Fury’s psychological tactics.

“I see him at the press conferences and he really says crazy things that get right under your skin,” Bruno said.

“Very controversial what he says, and no one’s ever going to agree with everything he says, but one thing that we can all agree on is he’s a world-class fighter.”

Bruno added: “Yeah, he’s a brilliant boxer. Very, very good. I mean, it’s abnormal that he can move the way he moves at 20 stone.”

The injury rumor is not the first cloud over this fight.

In September 2026, the bout was briefly on the verge of falling apart.

That issue was resolved, but no details were made public.

Fury, 38, holds a record of 36-2-1 with 25 knockouts.

He ended his second retirement earlier this year to stop Mariusz Wach in Thailand.

Joshua, 36, is 30-4 with 27 knockouts.

He returned from a serious car accident overseas to beat Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia.

Both men have been training for months.

Tickets for Principality Stadium sold out within hours.

The undercard features Deontay Wilder versus Jai Opetaia.

Wilder, 41, held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020.

He owns a 45-4-1 record with 44 knockouts.

Opetaia is the undefeated cruiserweight champion from Australia moving up in weight.

The co-main event was announced by Dana White in a social media video.

“The co-main event is officially set,” White said.

“These two guys have a combined 67 knockouts. You do not want to miss this fight, live only on Netflix.”

Fury has been vocal about Wilder recently.

Speaking to the FightHype YouTube channel, Fury said Wilder should not be in a ring.

“Silly really, for Deontay’s part,” Fury said.

“He shouldn’t be in a ring, he should be nowhere near a ring.”

“It’s a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight when he’s shot to bits.”

“Him and Chisora looked shockingly terrible.”

Fury and Wilder fought three times between 2018 and 2021.

The first bout ended in a controversial draw.

Fury won the second and third fights by knockout.

Wilder has since accused Fury of cheating in their first two fights.

Fury denies the accusation.

Bruno and Bellew also discussed Joshua’s chances.

Bruno said Joshua has “a puncher’s chance against Fury, but Fury is a very difficult guy.”

Bellew agreed.

“You’ve summed it up perfectly,” Bellew said.

“I think that AJ doesn’t win this fight on points. He can only win it by knockout.”

“And I think Tyson Fury is a very good boxer, but he’s shown vulnerabilities and he’s only getting…”

The sentence was cut off in the source material.

Fury’s father, John Fury, has publicly called for the fight to be canceled.

He told The Times of India that he fears his son will become a “laughing stock.”

John Fury did not cite an injury as his reason.

Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, responded to the injury rumors.

Warren told Boxing News 24 that he was aware of the speculation but did not confirm or deny an injury.