Fury defeats Wach, closes in on Anthony Joshua fight

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Tyson Fury edged closer to a blockbuster heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua after defeating Mariusz Wach by technical knock-out in the Thai resort city of Pattaya on Friday.

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The 37-year-old Briton outclassed his Polish opponent in front of 1,500 spectators in a bout that was not broadcast live on television.

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Former two-time world heavyweight champion Fury chipped away relentlessly at the 46-year-old until he was pulled out by his corner in the seventh round.

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It was Fury’s second win in as many contests this year as he returns from a 16-month lay-off.

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Attention now turn to fellow two-time heavyweight champion Joshua’s bout on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, against Albania’s Kristian Prenga.

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Should the 36-year-old triumph, as he is expected to, it will set up a long-awaited clash with his compatriot Fury.

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It will be Joshua’s first professional fight since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

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His last competitive appearance in the ring was his knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

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AFP

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