Big worry for Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight as Eddie Hearn shares concerns
Eddie Hearn has shared some worries about the long-awaited fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally happening later this year. Both Brits are seen as two of the best heavyweights today, and after lots of talk and planning, they’re set to fight in November.
Joshua and Fury have faced all the big names out there—except each other—and countless boxing fans can’t wait to see them step into the ring together. But right now, neither fighter looks to be in their best shape. Joshua, for example, turned a simple fight against Kristian Prenga into a tough battle last month after being knocked down twice early on. The 36-year-old barely got through with a second-round knockout. Fury, meanwhile, won by stopping Mariusz Wach in the seventh round during what felt more like a training session in Thailand.
The two former heavyweight champs have a contract to fight in the UK later this year. However, Netflix and the Saudi backers want the fight to happen at Madison Square Garden in New York. Eddie Hearn and Joshua, however, are standing firm on having the fight at Wembley and aren’t ready to back off.
“Everyone wants the fight in New York, except Anthony Joshua and me,” Hearn told The Punch Podcast. He explained, “We’re under a lot of pressure. Turki Alshikh and Netflix keep saying, ‘We want this in the US.’ It’s not really a ‘please,’ it’s more like, ‘We’re partners, we’re investing a lot, and this is the best place commercially.’ I don’t agree with them, but I’m not the one paying. Still, we wouldn’t have signed the contract if it was supposed to be in America, so we need to talk about this.”
Hearn also said that if the fight is announced in the US without agreeing to change the venue, the fight might not happen at all. “If they announce it without us agreeing on the venue, there will be no fight. We’re serious about that.”
When asked about the fight, Dana White believes it will happen “where the money is,” which suggests America might be the spot. He told Sky Sports, “Our company did all the deals for the fight—the venue, the TV, everything. So at the end of the day, the fight will go where the money is.”
Even though Hearn wants the fight in the UK, Madison Square Garden in New York currently looks like the front-runner, with money playing a big role in the decision.