Eddie Hearn has issued a stark ultimatum: if the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight is announced for New York without a contract change, there will be no fight. The promoter insists he and Joshua are not bluffing.
Contract vs Commercial Pressure
Joshua and Fury are contracted to meet in the UK later this year, but Netflix and the fight's Saudi backers want to host it at Madison Square Garden on November 20. Hearn, however, is adamant the fight should be held at Wembley and is refusing to back down.
"Everybody wants to do the fight in New York, apart from Anthony Joshua and me," he told The Punch Podcast. "We're under a huge amount of pressure, and we're being told by Turki Alshikh and those guys - Netflix particularly - 'Look, we really want to do the fight in the US.' It's almost not a 'please Eddie,' but like, 'We're partners. We're paying a lot of money. Come on, you have to understand that we need to put the fight where we feel is commercially the best place.'"
Hearn's Firm Stance
Hearn acknowledged the financial arguments but pointed out the contract was signed on the understanding the fight would be in the UK. "I don't agree with their arguments, but I'm not the one paying the money. However, we wouldn't have signed the contract if the fight was in America, so we have to have a discussion around that."
He also revealed that Nick Khan from TKO and Zuffa has been calling to get involved, but Hearn questioned why he would let them. "What? Why? Why would I let you be involved?" he said, adding that he would not expect to be involved in a Conor McGregor UFC fight.
No Fight If Venue Changed Unilaterally
Hearn said the other day they wrote to him announcing their intention to stage the fight in New York, and he replied, "No. You can't." He warned that they might go ahead and announce it anyway, but he would quickly respond: "No fight."
"Because I promise you, if they announce that fight without an agreement in place to change the venue, there will be no fight, and we ain't bluffing," he said.
Hearn reiterated his strong belief that the fight should be in the UK, but he remains open to discussion. "We feel really strongly that this fight should be in the UK. I've also said many times that I want it to work for everybody. Turki is spending a lot of money on this fight, if you really feel that commercially you're going to be so much better off doing it in America."
