Anthony Joshua has been given a clear deadline to agree to the terms for his fight with Tyson Fury, along with a friendly reminder.
Anthony Joshua has a clear deadline to agree to fight Tyson Fury, or the match could be cancelled. Fans have been excited about this big British boxing showdown for years, and it seemed real when AJ accepted Fury’s challenge in April.
Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, quickly signed a deal saying the fight should happen in the UK—ideally at Wembley Stadium—in what could be one of the biggest fights ever.
But Netflix and Saudi backers want the fight to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York, which Joshua’s team doesn’t like. Hearn even said Joshua might pull out if the fight isn’t in the UK. Fury responded by calling Joshua a “coward” and mentioned maybe fighting someone else instead.
Now, Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has given AJ nine days to agree to the terms for a fight in the US, or the whole thing will fall apart. Warren told the Daily Mail, “If AJ doesn’t commit by the end of next week, this great fight might never happen. At some point, the most important thing is that the fight happens—not money stuff. Does AJ really want this? Only he knows, especially after what he’s been through with that tragic car crash.”
Netflix got fans even more pumped by sharing a promo video on WWE’s Monday Night Raw last week. But now, the future of the fight is uncertain, and Fury is already thinking about what happens if it gets cancelled.
The 37-year-old is training in Miami and planning to fight in November no matter what. Fury’s cousin, Shane, talked about possibly fighting Agit Kabayel instead. Shane said, “I can’t say much, but it’s a big fight either way. Whether it’s AJ or not, Tyson’s training hard and ready. He’ll be fighting on that date, no matter what.”
Kabayel is an undefeated German boxer holding the WBC title after Oleksandr Usyk gave it up. He’s won 19 of his 27 fights by knockout and would be a tough opponent if he faces Fury instead of Joshua.