The long-awaited heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is at risk of collapsing unless the two camps reach an agreement by the end of next week.
Joshua and Fury reportedly signed contracts earlier this year for the much-anticipated fight to take place in the autumn. However, a dispute over the venue has emerged, with Netflix and the Saudi organisers pushing for the bout to be staged in the United States.
The proposed plan is for the fight to take place on November 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York, but Joshua, 36, and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, are pushing for the contest to be held at Wembley Stadium in London.
Fury is already in Miami preparing for the potential showdown, while his promoter, Frank Warren, has warned that the fight could fall apart if Joshua does not commit soon.
“Unless AJ commits by the end of next week, I’m afraid this will slip away like so many of those great fights which never happened,” Warren said.
Hearn has reportedly been seeking an improved financial package for Joshua as compensation for giving up his contractual right to have the fight staged in England.
However, Warren has urged all parties to put the fight itself ahead of financial disagreements.
“At some point everyone has to say the most important thing is that it happens. Not this [expletive deleted] about money,” Warren said.
The veteran promoter also questioned whether Joshua genuinely wants the fight, while acknowledging the personal difficulties the former two-time world heavyweight champion has recently experienced following a fatal car crash that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
“That everyone wants the fight. Does AJ really want it? I don’t know. He’s been through that tragedy of the car crash which killed two of his closest friends. Only he knows what he wants,” Warren said.
Warren Defends Potential US Venue
Addressing calls for the fight to be staged in Britain because both Joshua and Fury are British and have a huge following in the country, Warren argued that major boxing contests have historically been held outside the fighters’ home countries.
“There’s nothing new about this. Some fans travel to the fight and the majority watch on TV,” he said.
Warren pointed to legendary heavyweight Muhammad Ali’s fights against fellow Americans Joe Frazier and George Foreman, which were held in Manila and Zaire respectively.
He also cited former British heavyweight Joe Bugner’s bout against Ali in Kuala Lumpur as an example of a major fight being staged outside the fighters’ home country.
“It’s always about who’s paying the money,” Warren said.
“In the end you just have to get it on. Or not.”
For now, November 20 at Madison Square Garden remains the working date and venue for the proposed Joshua-Fury showdown.
Despite the ongoing disagreement, Warren said he remains confident the fight will happen in November.
“I’m still confident it will go ahead in November,” he said.
“Tyson certainly wants it and will be ready to fight. If not AJ, then someone else.”