Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are finally set to meet in the ring in November after more than a decade of verbal sparring. The all-British heavyweight showdown will take place in the United Kingdom and will not be promoted by Dana White's Zuffa Boxing, according to Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn.
Fury ended his year-long retirement in April, cruising to a points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in front of over 60,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Joshua watching ringside. Days later, both fighters agreed to the bout, which is expected in November. Joshua must first come through a warm-up fight with Kristian Prenga on July 25 unscathed, while Fury is also expected to have one more contest.
There were concerns the fight would land in the US, as reports indicated the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas were considered as venues. Dana White recently claimed he knows exactly where the fight will take place and that Hearn had no hand in negotiating the contract.
However, Hearn hit back, dismissing White's claims. 'His boxing business is so dead that he's trying to find a way to be relevant and part of the biggest fight in boxing, which is Joshua vs. Fury,' Hearn told ESPN. 'I negotiated the fight contract three months with SELA and Turki Alalshikh. Dana White has no clue what is in that contract. No. 1, Dana White, TKO, Zuffa can have no promotional involvement in that show at all. He also doesn't know about the other clause that was put in the contract that says Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury must take place in the UK.'
While no official date or venue has been confirmed, Wembley Stadium in north London is expected to host the clash in November. The two icons could meet more than once, with the first fight reportedly broadcast live on Netflix and the sequel on DAZN.
White has not responded to Hearn's remarks. The promoters have been at odds for months, with their feud escalating to the point of challenging each other to a fight, though White was accused of declining. Fury has sided with White, offering to referee any potential bout between the two.
