TYSON FURY has given Anthony Joshua an ultimatum – fight by December 3 or forget about it.
The heavyweight stars are in unlikely talks after Joshua ACCEPTED Fury’s terms of a 60/40 money split.
Eddie Hearn confirmed AJ is willing to concede the lionshare and will be ready to return on December 17.
And he even claimed Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has booked Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for that date.
But the Battle of Britain already faces collapse after Fury refused to fight any later than December 3.
Commenting in Michael Benson’s Instagram account, he said: “November 26th Wembley or December 3rd Cardiff that’s the dates take or leave.”
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Fury initially eyed a fight with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Usyk, who beat Joshua twice in the space of 11 months.
It would have been the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed title decider.
But Usyk, 35, has ruled himself out until next year after the Ukrainian hero returned to his war-torn home and family for the first time.
Fury wants to fight by the end of the year and therefore turned his attention to Joshua, offering him an unexpected package.
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AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed they are willing to accept after talks with Warren’s son George.
He told iFL TV: “We just went back this morning and said, I spoke to AJ about that offer, we think, I think particularly he deserves more than 40 per cent.
“But, he’s happy. And I don’t make the decisions, he does. So I went back this morning and said, ‘We accept 60/40’.
“We want that reversed in the rematch, rightfully so because you’re champion here, you want the bigger split, which I think is fair.
“And we want to do the fight in December. Now interestingly, they have December 17th, Queensberry held at the Millennium, so that’s perfect.”
Hearn added negotiations are ongoing, including over the pay-per-view rights.
Fury, 34, is a BT boxer while Joshua’s brand new long-term deal with sports streaming service DAZN is about to begin.
DAZN have launched a box office platform, making a rare duel PPV possible.
Joshua, 32, was set to return before the end of the year against an opponent ranked within the world’s top 15.
But plans to build back steadily could be cast aside if the chance to challenge for Fury’s WBC belt goes from longshot to reality.
Hall of Famer Warren backed the all-Brit bout to break the domestic PPV record with 2MILLION sales.
And if the price takes an expected hike to £30, it leaves £60million made in box office receipts alone.
November 26th Wembley or December 3rd Cardiff that’s the dates take or leave.
Tyson Fury to Anthony Joshua
And the last time AJ boxed in Wales, beating Joseph Parker, 30, in 2018, around £10m was made by paying fans.
It means Joshua and Fury would be expected to clear well over £70m in PPVs and tickets sales.
Although Fury doubled down on his demands and cut-off date.
He said on talkSPORT: “I have November 26th at Wembley or December 3rd. One is 11 weeks, and one is 12 weeks.
“If a professional athlete who’s shredded all year round can’t get himself in shape in three months, there’s a problem.”
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It clearly means negotiations are only at a start but Hearn has maintained they are happy with the financial terms.
He said: “In essence, we accept the offer of 60/40 and we confirmed that this morning. Lot’s of conversations to be had.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
