Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has insisted that Tyson Fury cannot pull out of a signed contract for a proposed November heavyweight fight against Anthony Joshua.
Hearn's statement comes after Fury claimed on social media on Friday that the bout was in doubt because Joshua demanded more money, calling his rival and team cowards.
Fury and Joshua have been negotiating for months to finalise a long-awaited all-British heavyweight clash, with Madison Square Garden in New York expected to host the event.
Both Fury and Joshua are former world heavyweight champions who have dominated British boxing for over a decade, making their potential showdown one of the most anticipated fights in combat sports.
Contract status and fight guarantee
Speaking to sports streaming service DAZN, Hearn dismissed Fury's public claims and stressed that the legally binding agreement between both camps is complete.
"We've signed the contract, we're waiting for a date. You saw Tyson Fury shouting and screaming, there's nothing to shout and scream about, the fight's done," Hearn said.
"The fight's signed. No-one can pull out of the fight. You can't just pull out of a contract," he added.
"There's no suggestion that the fight's not happening, no-one can stop this fight from happening. The only way it can stop from happening is if they actually breach the contract."
Venue selection and British fan priority
Negotiations for the bout have focused on a target date in November, with Madison Square Garden in New York City emerging as the likely venue for the clash.
Hearn explained that while the original fight contract stipulated the event would take place in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabian sports organiser Sela has been pushing to move the bout to the United States.
"We know everybody and his dog involved in the fight wants to do the fight in America. We don't," Hearn said.
"We've told Sela and the team if you want to do it in America, these are the terms that we can move forward with. But we'd rather not please."
Hearn added that Joshua feels a personal responsibility to UK fight fans to stage the landmark British rivalry on home soil rather than overseas.
Manager concerns and past obstacles
Despite Hearn's assurances that the fight is secure, Fury's manager Spencer Brown acknowledged that he remains concerned about the ongoing delay in officially announcing the date.
Previous efforts to arrange a bout between the two heavyweights have famously fallen through. In 2021, planned fight arrangements collapsed after a US judge ruled that Fury was contractually obligated to face American boxer Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight instead.
