ANTHONY JOSHUA vs Tyson Fury is the fight EVERY boxing fan wants to see – and Eddie Hearn has given a huge indication of the date it will take place.Both are coming off big victories, and 2021 should be the year they finally meet face-to-face in the squared circle.
Joshua vs Fury – when will it happen?
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is set to take place on August 7 or August 14, according to Eddie Hearn.
Hearn said: “August the 7th, August the 14th. I think it’s a very bad secret that the fight is happening in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s the same people we did the deal with for Andy Ruiz, that event was spectacular. As partners they were fantastic as well.”
Hearn added that August 14 made more sense as the Tokyo Olympics was finishing on August 8.
He commented: “We’re very comfortable. Anthony’s comfortable, he knows those people.
“They delivered on every one of their promises last time, we’re ready to go.
“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen this week.
“This is kind of like the moment where you could actually turn around at this point and say, ‘This is dragging on too long, or I can’t be dealing with this anymore.’
“But we have to nail this, and I’m not going to stop until I nail it, and everyone has just got to move forward collectively.
“We’re ready to go from our side. We’re not far away from their side and it is inevitable, but at the same time, we’ve got to close the door on it.”
Fury beat Wilder in Feb 2020 to win the WBC world heavyweight titleCredit: AP:Associated Press
Joshua vs Fury – where will it take place?
As stated by Hearn, the fight is likely to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua successfully regained his titles against Andy Ruiz Jr there while Tyson Fury wowed the crowd by making a WWE appearance in the Gulf State.
There, he was victorious over Braun Strowman.
Joshua vs Fury – how much will they earn?
A lot. That’s the simple answer. Both Joshua and Fury have already made upwards of £40million each for their respective fights with Ruiz Jr and Wilder.
So when they fight each other, expect the figures to be at last double that.
Hearn also spoke last week about how he expects the pair to make ‘Mayweather money’, referencing the grand purses Floyd used to pull in for his fights.
“It’s certainly I think, you know, the biggest fight, the most lucrative fight, in boxing right now – unquestionably,” Hearn said.
“That’s Mayweather money. You know? And we haven’t seen Mayweather money since Mayweather.
“I think it’s impossible to give a number. There’s no set purses for this fight because, obviously, it’s a revenue share. But it’s certainly gonna break records everywhere.”
It’s been speculated, however, that the pair could earn £80m each.
Joshua vs Fury – what hurdles are left to clear?
Back in the latter months of 2020, there were quite a few, but we look to be in a much stronger position right now.
First, Joshua had to beat Pulev, which he did emphatically with a 9th-round knockout.
Fury had been targeting a third fight with Wilder, but once that didn’t come to fruition, an interim bout with Agit Kabayel has been planned – but that also fell through.
It seems Fury decided his best bet would be to wait it out until he can fight AJ.
Joshua beat Ruiz Jr over 12 rounds in Saudi to win back his world titlesCredit: PA:Press Association
One problem he has, however, is Wilder, who believes the clause he exercised to compete in a third fight hasn’t been honoured.
Team Fury says the clause expired back in October, while Wilder’s side have gone the legal route to get that trilogy rematch.
Neither Hearn nor Fury’s American promoter Bob Arum expect there to be any way Wilder can win that case, and they expect Joshua vs Fury to happen.
Usyk is the WBO heavyweight title mandatory challengerCredit: Getty – Contributor
There’s also the WBO mandatory situation, and while not one that will prohibit the fight from happening, one that could affect which belts are on the line.
Oleksandr Usyk is the WBO’s mandatory challenger, but it’s thought the Ukrainian will end up fighting Joe Joyce for an interim version of the title instead.
Expect Usyk to be handsomely paid for that fight.
Joshua vs Fury – what channel will it be on in the UK?
This could be a tricky one.
Joshua has an exclusive deal with Sky Sports in the UK, and while Fury’s deal with BT Sport isn’t exclusive, he’s closely aligned with them.
Fury, however, has fought on Sky Sports Box Office before, most notably for his world heavyweight title win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Eddie Hearn says the fight will be signed in the next four weeksCredit: PA:Press Association
Don’t be surprised if the two sides come to an agreement where both Sky and BT decide to work together on a dual-broadcast.
In the U.S., the situation is also tricky.
Fury has an exclusive deal with ESPN, while Joshua’s last four fights have been shown on streaming service DAZN in the U.S.
ESPN offer a pay-per-view service for their big fight nights while DAZN work on a subscription-based model, making a deal for the fight to be shown on both channels difficult.
Arum recently said: “It will be a normal pay-per-view here (in the United States). ESPN will be the distributor.”
“Obviously, the big market is the UK, where everyone is talking it will do three million homes. Sky and BT both will have it on pay-per-view.”
DAZN will likely stream the fight for rest of the world territories.
Joshua vs Fury – what have they all said?
Joshua: “How close is the Fury fight? I promise you it’s happening.
“But until you hear it from me, don’t buy into anything. I’m serious about the fight so when I announce it you’ll know it’s real.”
Another positive meeting with @258mgt. They’ve informed me things are shaping up nicely. They will be sharing the update with Eddie and you’ll be hearing from me soon 👊🏾— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) February 23, 2021
Fury: “I just got off the phone with [my trainer] Sugarhill Steward in America.
“We are going to smash AJ – one round, two rounds, three rounds. Done! Can’t wait.”
Frank Warren is confident the fight will take place in May or JuneCredit: PA:Press Association
Hearn: “Both guys are training at the moment, you know, with the understanding that this will be the next fight for them.
“So, whilst we can’t say the fight is signed, we can say that we’re closing in and it looks like both fighters are happy with the terms.”
Arum: “There’s no [Wilder] mediation. I mean, there has been over Christmas, and New Year, there was mediation
“I don’t know, maybe the mediator will be able to solve the situation, but we got a real problem because Tyson Fury has said to me and the mediator, ‘Not today, not tomorrow, and not ever’ will he ever fight Wilder after what Wilder said to him.”
Bob Arum says there’s no way Joshua-Fury isn’t happeningCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Warren: “But the fight, we are hoping to get it on and, if we are being realistic, it will be some time in May or June.
“I hope that in the next few weeks it is over the line. We are supposed to be getting some sort of draft agreement this week and it will be a two-fight deal.” More
