RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer THE LONG ROAD TO FURY-JOSHUA
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December 2026 Volume 103, No. 12
’ll admit it. I did not believe the powers that be would finalize Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua before the end of the year. I had my doubts about 2027, too. In fact, I thought the superstar British matchup was a lost cause numerous times during the decade. My cynicism didn’t come directly from the former heavyweight champs or their management. It wasn’t due to the sorry state of the sport, either. Even decades ago, when boxing was in a much healthier place, potential megafights somehow failed to come to fruition, including can’t-miss blockbusters in the glamour division. I was salivating over the prospect of the Mike Tyson-George Foreman dream fight coming true in late 1990 (or anytime in 1991, prior to Tyson’s incarceration). Like many hardcore fans, I thought THE fight to be made in 1993 was the Riddick Bowe- Lennox Lewis clash for undisputed heavyweight supremacy, but “Big Daddy” and his promoter, Rock Newman, had other plans and they weren’t going to let a WBC mandatory (or the threat of a repeat of the 1988 Olympic super heavyweight finals) get in the way. The industry left fortunes on the table by not pushing those heavyweight showdowns across
of Welsh soccer and rugby will witness Britain’s most famous and accomplished heavyweights since Lewis battle for the edge in their respective legacies. To paraphrase Sir Paul McCartney, it was a long and winding road, but Fury and Joshua have finally arrived. Their 10- year path to December 11 was chronicled on the covers of this magazine. April 2016 – The Fighter of the Year issue was Fury’s solo cover debut. He earned the honors by traveling to Germany and upsetting reigning unified Ring champ Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. It was the first time an active heavyweight had significantly graced the cover since the December 2012 issue, which featured Wlad squaring off against Mike Tyson and the title “Klitschko vs. Legends.” (Don’t laugh at the mythical matchup theme; that issue sold well.) Fury did not capitalize on his victory. He suffered with mental illness and
Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972) Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh
Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer Managing Editor Tom Gray Senior Editor Brian Harty Creative Director Lamar Clark Controller Deborah L. Harrison
THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410) December 2026, is published 12 times per year by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC, 475 Heffernan Drive, West Haven, CT 06516. Application to mail at Periodicals postage is pending at Milford, CT 06460 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Ring, Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103 Cambey West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Single copy price $9.99 in U.S.A., 10.99 Canada (£10.99 in the U.K.). Global Subscription price $60.00 for 12 issues plus S&H. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2026 The Ring Magazine FZ-LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@ ringmagazine.com. U.S. / Canadian and international distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed in USA. Subscription Inquiries Back Issues Inquiries Digital Orders Inquiries The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept. PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Send Editorial Comments To: comeoutwriting@gmail.com or P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209
IT’S TIME! TO FIGHT SMOKING
the finish line, a frustrating reminder that boxing may be money motivated, but it’s ego- driven. That was true 30-plus years ago, and it remains so. But the egos involved with Fury-Joshua – and there are many – finally worked it out. We have a fight on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, where 80,000 tickets were sold in under an hour. The fans that pack the home
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