Tyson Fury has confirmed he will return to the ring on July 24, taking on 46-year-old Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand. The bout will serve as Fury’s final outing before his long-awaited showdown with British rival Anthony Joshua later this year and is expected to be streamed live worldwide on Netflix.
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The contest takes place one day before Joshua is scheduled to face Albania’s Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia. Both British heavyweights are expected to come through their respective fights before meeting in a proposed all-British heavyweight showdown, after agreeing terms for the long-discussed contest earlier in 2026.
Wach brings significant experience despite being in the latter stages of his career. The Polish veteran challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the unified heavyweight world title in 2012, taking the Ukrainian champion the full 12 rounds before suffering the first defeat of his professional career.
Now aged 46, Wach enters the fight with a professional record of 39 wins and 13 losses. In recent years, he has suffered points defeats to Dillian Whyte, Hughie Fury and Frazer Clarke, while highly rated British prospect Moses Itauma stopped him inside two rounds in 2024.
Attention is expected to focus not only on whether Fury wins, but also on how convincingly he performs against an opponent who has increasingly become a benchmark for Britain’s emerging heavyweight contenders. Fury has spent much of his latest training camp in Thailand, making Pattaya a natural choice to host the event.
Following the fight, Fury is expected to travel directly to Jeddah to watch Joshua’s contest from ringside before promotional activity turns towards their anticipated meeting. The July contest will be Fury’s second fight since ending a 16-month retirement, having returned in April with a points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in his first fight on British soil for more than three years.
Queensberry Promotions has confirmed that profits from ticket sales will be donated to local charities. Fury will also be presented with the inaugural WBC Humanitarian title during the event.
The Daily Mall reported that speaking after confirming the fight, Fury said: “This is a landmark year for me in boxing and I’m excited to be able to bring this event to Pattaya, a part of the world that is special to me.
“We’re coming together to put on a great show for the fans, while using the opportunity to give back to the local community, who have been so good to me every time I have visited.
“At the same time, I’m fully focused on preparing for a tough opponent and making sure I’m the best version of Tyson Fury going into fight night. It’s the start of a huge second half of the year for me.”
Picture of Wach (left) courtesy of Daily Mail
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailymail 1 July 2026