Anthony Joshua will return to boxing in a comeback fight on July 25 in Riyadh ahead of showdown with Tyson Fury

Anthony Joshua will return to boxing in a comeback bout on July 25 in Saudi Arabia.

The former unified world champion will fight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh this summer.

It will be Joshua's first contest since returning to training after a car accident in Nigeria in December saw two of his close friends die.

The official announcement of AJ's comeback fight has been accompanied by confirmation from promoters Turki Alashikh and Eddie Hearn that Joshua will finally fight his great rival Tyson Fury later this year.

Joshua said: "It's no secret I've taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey. I'm delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"I'm looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said: The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain."

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh had already turbo-charged speculation on Monday that the fight between Joshua and Fury had been agreed when he posted on social media: "To my friends in Great Britain. It's happening, it's signed."

Hearn echoed Alashikh's sentiment in a post on Instagram shortly after, claiming the paperwork is "Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ vs Fury is on!"

Ring magazine have also confirmed the fight as a "done deal" on X, claiming that the fight will take place in "Q4" of 2026.

Joshua had a pre-existing contract for the fight with Fury - with the latter confirming that he had signed his side of the paperwork after his recent victory against Arslanbek Makhmudov.

"I've signed. I signed months ago. I don't know if he signed," Fury said after the fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Hearn's announcement, though, appears to confirm that all parties are now agreement that the fight is officially happening.