Eddie Hearn has rejected Tyson Fury's demand that contracts for a heavyweight title fight with Anthony Joshua be signed by Monday, stating there is 'no chance' of meeting that deadline. Fury had issued the ultimatum on Friday, threatening to walk away and seek another opponent for his WBC title defence if the deal is not completed.
Hearn told the Seconds Out YouTube channel that the contract sent by Fury's promoter Frank Warren was 'all over the place' and that his team would not be rushed. 'There is no need for this fight to get signed by Monday,' Hearn said. 'If he doesn't want to fight Joshua, and I guess he doesn't, then he'll do what he'll do and the fans might even fall for it.'
Television executives from BT Sport and DAZN are scheduled to meet on Monday, with Joshua's team having verbally accepted Fury's offer of a 60-40 purse split. However, Hearn insisted that the meeting is just the beginning of negotiations. 'We have a meeting on Monday, with DAZN, with BT, with everybody, but it's going to take time,' he added.
Fury made the offer to Joshua on social media earlier this month after a potential bout with Oleksandr Usyk was postponed. Joshua immediately accepted, and the deal was backed by an exchange of letters between Hearn and Warren. But Fury expressed frustration with the delay, telling BT Sport on Saturday night that he was 'sick of setting deadlines' and that Joshua's team had had 'over a week' to sign the contract.
