(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on December 14, 2020 shows Boxer Tyson Fury (L) during a press conference in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 2020, and British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua during a press conference in Ad Diriyah, a Unesco-listed heritage site, outside Riyadh, on December 4, 2019. – Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn says a deal for his man to fight Tyson Fury in an all-British world heavyweight unification bout in 2021 could take as little as two days to complete. Plans for a “Battle of Britain” have accelerated after Joshua, 31, stopped Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round at Wembley Arena on December 12 to retain all three of his belts. (Photos by RINGO CHIU and FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP)
An all-British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in July or August is “dead in the water”, according to Fury’s promoter.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said on Thursday he was “100 percent confident” the fight would happen despite concerns over delays in finalising the super fight.
Saudi Arabia, where Joshua won a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019, has reportedly offered a huge sum to host the fight.
Bob Arum, though, believes it will not now be possible to complete negotiations in time and has called for the two boxers to arrange other fights.
“It will take months for the Saudis to do their due diligence on such a huge deal,” Arum told the Telegraph.
“It is not just a site fee, there are ancillary demands from the Saudis stretching into the broadcast deals and other things. It could take months for it all to play out. It could even take until 2022 the way it looks right now.
“The fight in July or August is dead in the water as far as we are concerned. The two fighters need to go and have other fights this summer while the negotiations for that fight in the Middle East conclude.
“It is absurd what Hearn is saying that it is a done deal. If we had just done a site deal without all the other complications that have arisen, we would have a fight by now. Tyson Fury is fuming about it and is refusing to keep waiting.”
The fight will be the richest in British boxing history, with the two men holding all four of the major world titles in the heavyweight division between them.