Promoter Eddie Hearn has said the upcoming fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua hinges on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's support for a London venue, due to infrastructure needs.
Khan's role in hosting the fight
Hearn told Playbook Boxing powered by Betway: "It can only happen if you’ve got the support of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who’s thankfully a fight fan, but also the support of transport for London because the infrastructure changes."
He added: "You can’t have a fight on at 2am, with everyone coming out of the stadium and there being no trains and no buses for people to get home."
Economic incentive for London
Hearn highlighted the financial benefits for the city: "That then has to be laid on by the City of London, which, by the way, makes business sense because the fight is going to generate a huge amount for London commercially."
He noted: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and Sadiq Khan has a history through Earlsfield Amateur Boxing Club with his family. He is a big fight fan and has helped before on fights at the national stadium."
Transport challenges
The main issue, according to Hearn, is ensuring fans can get home after the fight: "When something like this normally happens, you have local residents who are going to go, 'Hang on a minute, I don’t want people rocking up around Wembley high street at 3am or 4am, hanging [around] with the noise, while people are being cleared safely from the stadium.'"
He stressed: "Buses have got to be put into place; the Tube has to run at those times. It’s making sure that it is not a mess."
Joshua and Fury are each taking part in warm-up fights: Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while Fury meets Mariusz Wach in Thailand. Their fight is scheduled for November, with location and timing yet to be confirmed.
