Mike Tyson wants the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight held in London. He also knows he will not be allowed in.
Speaking at an event at the Sugar Factory in New York’s Times Square, the American urged the two British heavyweights to stage the bout on home soil rather than in the United States, framing his own exclusion as a price worth paying.
“It’s going to be a great fight, it’s going to be great for boxing… even though I can’t go, I’m barred from London, I think London should get the fight,” Tyson said.
“They’re both English and if they come here, all the English people are going to come anyway. So you’re home already, let’s do it there!”
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Why the UK will not let him in
Tyson was convicted of rape in Indianapolis on 10 February 1992 and sentenced the following month to six years in prison plus four years of probation. He was released in March 1995 after serving less than three years.
That sentence is the reason he cannot cross the UK border. Under immigration rules tightened by the British government in December 2012, any foreign national who has been sentenced to more than four years in prison faces a mandatory refusal of entry, regardless of when the conviction occurred. Tyson ran into the rule almost immediately: he was forced to scrap a run of London promotional dates that same winter and later abandoned a planned Spike Lee-directed one-man Broadway show that had been booked for UK dates in London, Glasgow and Manchester.
The fight itself is not settled
The Joshua vs Fury negotiation is not yet a done deal. Fury said on Instagram that the bout looks unlikely because of a purse dispute with Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn, calling them “disgusting” and accusing them of demanding more money on top of what Saudi backer Turki Alalshikh has already paid out.
“Doesn’t look like they’re going to sign the fight, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen all because Eddie Hearn and that want more money,” Fury wrote.
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The bout has been targeted for late 2026, with Netflix lined up as the global broadcaster. Venue talks have pulled in two directions: Joshua’s camp signed for a British stadium, while Alalshikh’s team has pushed for Madison Square Garden in New York.
A London staging would keep Tyson out of the arena; a New York staging would let him walk in through the front door. As of 21 August 2026, no contract has been signed and no venue has been announced.
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