Anthony Joshua has 10 days to agree terms for a fight against Tyson Fury or see the bout cancelled, promoter Frank Warren has warned. The potential heavyweight clash has been billed as the richest fight in British boxing history.
Fury is already in full training in Miami for the proposed bout, which has a working date of November 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York. However, Warren warned that negotiations cannot drag on indefinitely.
"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.
Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn have expressed heated opposition to moving the "Battle of Britain" from Wembley Stadium in London to New York, further delaying a spectacle that the public has been demanding through two decades.
Joshua, who was pictured on holiday in Oman this week, faces the deadline as Hearn leads heated demands for millions of pounds in additional compensation for waiving a first-contract right to hold the fight in England. Netflix and Saudi Arabian investors, who are the nine-figure paymasters, insist that the event takes place at Madison Square Garden to maximise broadcast revenue from the vast American market.
Promoter urges end to financial disputes
Warren insisted that all parties must set aside financial arguments to ensure the fight is made.
"At some point everyone has to say the most important thing is that it happens. Not this bulls*** about money," Warren said. "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."
Addressing arguments that British fans should see the fight domestically after waiting so long, Warren noted that major events frequently travel to international venues.
"There's nothing new about this. Some fans travel to the fight and the majority watch on TV," Warren said. "Our Joe Bugner fought Muhammad Ali in Kuala Lumpur. Two of Muhammad Ali's greatest fights were against fellow Americans Joe Frazier and George Foreman in Manila and Zaire. It's always about who's paying the money."
"In the end you just have to get it on. Or not," Warren added.
Background and next steps for proposed fight
Joshua and Fury are two of the most prominent heavyweight boxers of their generation, having both held world titles. Madison Square Garden in New York City has historically hosted major world championship boxing matches, while Wembley Stadium is England's national stadium in London. Global streaming platform Netflix and Saudi Arabian financiers have increasingly backed major international combat sports events.
Despite the approaching deadline, Warren expressed optimism that agreement can still be reached for the scheduled autumn date.
"I'm still confident it will go ahead in November," Warren said. "Tyson certainly wants it and will be ready to fight. If not AJ then someone else."
