Fury vs Joshua — Sauerland Claims Dublin Deal Is Done for Autumn

• Promoter Kalle Sauerland claims Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is "done" for Dublin in autumn 2026, with September or October at Croke Park the rumoured target — a potential double-header with Katie Taylor's farewell fight
• Eddie Hearn has flatly denied any agreement exists, stating there is no contract, no venue, and no date — just preliminary conversations through Saudi intermediaries
• Joshua's camp is reportedly planning a July comeback fight first, meaning any Fury clash wouldn't land until autumn at the earliest — if it happens at all

Sauerland's Bombshell Claim

Right then. Kalle Sauerland — the promoter who brought us Wilder vs Chisora at The O2 — went on iFL TV and The Stomping Ground this week and dropped what he clearly intended as a bombshell. "AJ-Fury, I've heard it's done for Dublin later this year," he said, before adding it's "done for apparently autumn in Dublin." September or October. Croke Park. The works. Now, Sauerland isn't some random punter on Twitter. He's a serious promoter with serious connections. When he speaks publicly about a deal being done, he's either got very reliable information or he's playing a very dangerous game of public pressure. My guess? It's somewhere in between. He's heard enough from the right people to believe this fight is heading in the Dublin direction, but "done" is doing an awful lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. The Dublin angle makes perfect sense from a commercial standpoint. Katie Taylor has been talking about a farewell fight at Croke Park this summer, and the idea of pairing Fury-Joshua with Taylor's last dance on Irish soil is the kind of event that transcends boxing. You'd fill 82,000 seats in about fifteen minutes. Netflix would be falling over themselves for the rights. The money would be astronomical.

Hearn Says Absolutely Not

Here's where it gets messy. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn didn't just deny the deal — he demolished it. "There is absolutely no agreement between AJ and Fury," Hearn told reporters. "There is no contract signed. There is no venue agreed. We haven't even got a proposed contract for a date, a venue, nothing." That's about as definitive a denial as you'll get in boxing, a sport where the truth is treated more like a suggestion than a rule. Hearn went further, explaining that meaningful talks had only recently resumed through Saudi intermediaries after being derailed by the tragic car crash in Nigeria that killed two members of Joshua's team earlier this year. Those conversations are described as "preliminary exploration" rather than anything approaching a signed contract. Let's not beat around the bush: someone here is either lying, massively exaggerating, or working from outdated information. In boxing promotions, all three are equally likely.

The Joshua Problem

Even if we take the most optimistic reading of the situation — that frameworks are being discussed and Dublin in autumn is the preferred destination — there's a significant hurdle. Joshua hasn't fought since his devastating loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. That's over eighteen months of inactivity for a fighter who was knocked out cold in five rounds. Hearn has repeatedly suggested Joshua needs a comeback fight first, with July being the working timeline. That means AJ wouldn't be back in the ring until the summer, leaving precious little time to prepare for a fight of Fury's magnitude by September. A proper camp for Fury would need at least eight to ten weeks. The maths doesn't lie — autumn is tight, and winter might be more realistic. Then there's the small matter of Fury himself. He fights Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham on April 11. If he wins convincingly, the Joshua talk accelerates. If he struggles — or worse, loses — the entire equation changes overnight. Boxing teaches you never to count fights before they've happened.

My Take: It Happens, But Not Until Late 2026

Make no mistake: I believe Fury vs Joshua happens this year. The commercial pressure is too enormous, the fan demand too overwhelming, and both fighters need each other too badly for it not to. Fury needs a legacy-defining fight to justify his comeback. Joshua needs vindication after the Dubois disaster. Dublin at Croke Park alongside Katie Taylor is genuinely the most exciting possible venue. But "done"? Not yet. Not close. What we have is two camps who both want the fight, a venue that makes perfect sense, and a timeline that works — just about — if everything falls into place. Fury beats Makhmudov. Joshua takes a tune-up in July and wins comfortably. The Saudi money lands. Netflix writes the cheque. Then, and only then, will it be done. My prediction: Fury vs Joshua, Croke Park, October 2026. But if you're booking flights to Dublin based on Sauerland's word alone, you might want to check the refund policy first.