TYSON FURY will refuse to sign a site deal for his fight with Anthony Joshua until the money is guaranteed by a bank, Frank Warren said.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has maintained the undisputed title fight is on and set for August 7 or 14 in Saudi Arabia.
According to ESPN, both Joshua, 31, and Fury – who has been enjoying a poolside break in Miami with brother Tommy and some stunning sunseekers – are in line to earn around £54million each.
But 32-year-old Fury’s UK backer Warren admitted nothing will be signed and sealed until the funds are there to see.
He told SecondsOut: “We’ve got a contract at the moment that Tyson Fury will not sign.
“One thing in the contract that will enable us to get over the hump are the guarantees. If the guarantees are there, then it’s not a problem.
“I’m not even going down the road saying where the fight is going to take place and who the negotiations are with because it’s all moot at the moment.
“What are we four months on? We are where we are. Until we agree to terms, until Tyson Fury, who we’re with, is happy with the terms, it won’t get signed, and he’s not happy at the moment.
“I don’t know what Anthony Joshua is because we don’t have nothing to do with that.
“Until Tyson is satisfied that the money in that contract is guaranteed by a bank, then it’s not going to get signed.
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“That’s the main issue, and hopefully that’ll get addressed. That’s the crux of the matter. That’s probably 85 per cent of what it’s all about.”
Hearn, the driving force behind the talks along with Warren and Bob Arum, has dealt with the Saudis before.
He took Joshua’s rematch win against Andy Ruiz Jr, 31, to Riyadh in December 2019.
In response to Warren, Hearn said on Sky Sports: “I wasn’t just intending to take a punt on it. It’s a lot of money and we’ve done this before.
“We did the Andy Ruiz fight in Saudi Arabia. We know the magnitude of the people we are dealing with.
“We’re probably a little bit more comfortable than they are, because they are new to this, and I get that, so we have to make them comfortable.
“Of course financially we need to make sure that everything is in order, everything is secure.”
Fury has not fought since February 2020, when he dethroned Deontay Wilder, 35, of the WBC title.
They were signed for an immediate rematch, but the Gypsy King’s team argued the stipulation expired in October.
Wilder is fighting his case in arbitration, while Fury is instead deep into talks with AJ.
But Warren revealed Arum is already lining up a back-up fight Stateside in July if negotiations with Joshua break down altogether.
He said: “I know Bob Arum in the States is talking about he wants to fight in the States.
“That would be in July, so this has to be settled very, very quickly one way or another.
“All these things can happen provided that Tyson Fury is happy with the terms and the comfort level he requires is there.
“If it’s there, it’s a no-brainer.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
