ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury can be expected to fight at least once abroad as they have ‘sizeable’ offers from around the world, Eddie Hearn has revealed.
The heavyweight champions have already verbally agreed to a double header for next year.
Eddie Hearn said Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury can be expected to fight at least once abroadCredit: PA:Press Association
Fury and Joshua have ‘sizeable’ offers from around worldCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And their promoters have always warned the show will go wherever the money is.
As a result, Joshua’s matchmaker Eddie Hearn admitted he will aim to secure one bout on home soil, with the other likely to be an away a fixture.
Hearn told talkSPORT: “If you go to a fighter and their teams and, pulling numbers out of the sky, say you have £50million to fight in the UK or you have £100m to do the fight in the Middle East, it’s a very short conversation.
“Because they understand the risks involved.
“If you ask Tyson and you ask AJ, ‘where do you want this fight to happen?’ – blimey, obviously in the UK!
“Two British heavyweight world champions and we will do everything we can to make the fight here, by the way.
“And I do believe that is what the fighters want as well.
“But even in the current environment, there has been a number of sizeable approaches from around the world to stage this fight – the biggest fight in boxing.”
Joshua’s last fight saw him reclaim the heavyweight belts in Saudi Arabia against Andy Ruiz Jr last December.
It reportedly earned him a career high £66m payday as Middle Eastern money men put up the mega-bucks to stage the rematch.
And Fury has also reaped the rewards of taking his career over to the US after he signed a deal with Top Rank and ESPN, said to be worth £80m.
Hearn revealed both the British stars are in the driving seat and will make the final decision on where their proposed unification takes place.
He said: “This is a sport where both fighters put their health and their faculty and sometimes their life on the line.
“You can’t expect fighters in a fight of this magnitude, the ultimate fight of their career, to take half the money to do it in the UK.
“We’re in a situation at the moment in this country and, at the moment rightfully so, where the government doesn’t invest money to bring major sporting events to this country.
“They’ve got enough on their plate, they certainly shouldn’t be looking at that at the moment.
“Yet many countries, and we saw the Ruiz fight in Saudi Arabia, have funds in place to bring major sporting events to their countries.
“So a lot of those countries are going to be making major financial plays to stage this fight. Ultimately, it won’t be me who decides.
“It will be the fighters who decide.”
Before talk of the undisputed title decider can progress, Joshua, 32, has to first beat Kubrat Pulev, 39, in a mandatory defence on December 12.
Fury, 32, was in talks to face German Agit Kabayel a week prior, but without a crowd it was financially impossible.
He also faces a wait to find out the verdict on staging his trilogy with Deontay Wilder, 34, who he beat in Febuary.
Wilder has initiated a mediation after Fury tried to walk away from their immediate rematch, believing the clause expired in October.
Hearn slams Government for snubbing sport from bail-out and not understanding the importance of the sport on communities
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
