Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury venue tug of war on pause, says Matchroom boss Hearn
Talks over the venue for the long-awaited fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have been put on ice, says Matchroom boss Barry Hearn.
Joshua is keen that the all-British heavyweight battle slated for later this year be held on home soil, with Wembley Stadium the most likely setting, but the final decision rests with Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh.
That won’t come until after both fighters are due to return to the boxing ring this weekend, and Hearn, president of Joshua’s promoter Matchroom, insists that no announcement is imminent.
Asked if there could be news if Fury and Joshua successfully navigate their comeback bouts on Friday and Saturday respectively, he told City PM: “None whatsoever. We’re not thinking about anything till after this job’s done.
“Tyson has to win his fight on Friday, and then we’re going to probably have a day off from training before we start getting ready for the big one.”
If not Wembley for AJ-Fury, then where?
Hearn added: “We’re in the hands of Turki Alalshikh. We have a contract that we’ve signed to fight Tyson Fury in the UK, and that’s part of the contract. But let’s not be naive enough to ignore the reason why this fight is happening because of the support, financial support, of one man, Turki Alalshikh.
“I’ve no doubt if he has other ideas, he will want to discuss them. But at the moment, AJ [Joshua] is particularly keen on having the fight in the UK, and we’ll have to see what happens. Let’s get this weekend over first.”
Fury, 37, is set to step up his preparations for the super-fight by facing Poland’s Mariusz Wach on Friday in a low-key clash in Thailand, where he has been training, that will not be broadcast. Joshua, 36, returns for the first time since being involved in a car accident that killed two friends against Albanian Kristian Prenga 24 hours later in Jeddah.
The US has been mooted as alternative host for Joshua-Fury, with the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and the SoFi Stadium in LA reported to be among potential venues.
Hearn, who this week announced a bid to get local football team Brentwood Town into the English Football League for the first time, quipped: “Wherever it is in the world, we don’t want it on the moon – apparently, there’s no atmosphere.”