Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are understood to have signed contracts to fight on November 20 in New York City, raising concerns that the mega-fight will take place in the middle of the night for British fans.
Fury took to social media on Tuesday morning to tease the announcement, telling his followers that the fight was on the verge of being publicised. He said: ‘Big news being dropped very, very soon. A big fight on the horizon. It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for. It’s about to be announced imminently so stay tuned!’
While those close to the negotiations have told Daily Mail Sport that the blockbuster bout is done, with New York’s Madison Square Garden understood to have been agreed as the venue, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has insisted there is still work to be done on the deal.
Those familiar with the discussions say Joshua and his promoter Hearn continued to push for the fight to take place in the UK, with Fury also keen on a homecoming bout, but they were ultimately unable to secure their preferred location.
However, Hearn – who recently revealed it was written into Joshua’s contract that the fight has to be staged in Britain – has told Daily Mail Sport that no agreement has yet been reached to change those terms.
‘We are in constant communication with Turki and SELA but as of yet there is no agreement to any variation within the contract,’ he said.
It is understood that Anthony Joshua (left) and Tyson Fury (right) have signed contracts to fight on November 20 in New York City
The fight is said to be taking in New York and the iconic Madison Square Garden – where Joshua previously suffered his shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019
Turki Alalshikh (above), who is helping bankroll the fight, had left the door open to staging the event in Britain, but made it clear that the numbers had to work
Speaking in an interview released after Daily Mail Sport’s story broke, Hearn added: “It seems like everyone is adamant the fight takes place in New York. There isn’t really any consideration or willingness to speak to the government. Sadiq Khan, Transport for London. It’s just like ‘we want to do this fight in America’.
‘Tyson Fury has agreed to do it in America and we haven’t at the moment. We are talking through a roadmap of what that might look like to change the deal and if they do all the things we’ve discussed and agreed in principle, then I think there is a very good chance the fight will happen in America.”
Others close to the discussions say Alalshikh’s position was that the fight could be staged in the UK if the financial case stacked up and the figures could be demonstrated.
But with that case ultimately unable to be made, the decision has been taken to move the blockbuster to New York and the iconic Madison Square Garden – the scene of Joshua’s shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019.
The fight is expected to take place on a Friday night in an attempt to avoid clashes with major American sporting events and maximise its exposure in the US.
It remains unclear, however, whether the main event will take place at a time convenient for British boxing fans.
And while Hearn’s comments indicate that the contractual position has yet to be formally altered, Daily Mail Sport understands the final pieces are now being put in place for the official announcement, with the relevant parties due to meet in the coming days to organise the launch press conference.
That is expected to take place before the end of August.
Anthony Joshua has his hand raised following victory over Kristian Prenga on July 25
However, result didn’t come without drama as he was knocked down in the first 20 seconds
Spencer Brown, Fury’s manager, said several weeks ago that the announcement would be made at an iconic British landmark, adding that it would be ‘like no announcement’ fans have ever seen before and claiming they ‘don’t want to miss it’.
Hearn has also previously told Daily Mail Sport that the announcement press conference would take place before the end of the month and would be timed around Joshua’s return from holiday.
The roots of Joshua-Fury go back to the beginning of the 2010s, when both men were establishing themselves as Britain’s leading heavyweight prospects.
Joshua won Olympic gold at London 2012 before turning professional, while Fury had already made his professional debut in 2008 and was building an unbeaten record of his own.
For years, the prospect of the two eventually meeting was one of British boxing’s biggest talking points.
Fury’s victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 transformed him into a world heavyweight champion, while Joshua was rapidly moving towards the same position.
Joshua won the IBF heavyweight title by beating Charles Martin in 2016 and subsequently added the WBA and IBO belts.
By 2017, the possibility of an undisputed Joshua-Fury fight had become a genuine objective rather than simply a dream matchup.
Fury took on Mariusz Wach at the Max Muay Thai Stadium, Pattaya, Thailand on July 24
But the negotiations repeatedly failed.
The biggest opportunity came in 2021, when Joshua and Fury appeared to be moving towards a two-fight agreement. A deal was publicly discussed, but the proposed fight ultimately collapsed after Fury became obligated to face Deontay Wilder following an arbitration ruling.
Fury subsequently fought Wilder for a third time, while Joshua moved towards his own defining bouts.
Joshua then suffered back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, losing his WBA, IBF and WBO titles in 2021 before being beaten again in their 2022 rematch.
The sport then appeared to get another opportunity to make Joshua-Fury. In late 2022, negotiations accelerated dramatically, with both camps discussing a proposed fight in December.
A deal again failed to materialise.
Fury instead moved on to other opponents, while Joshua continued his rebuilding process following the Usyk defeats.
The arrival of Alalshikh and the expansion of major boxing events in Saudi Arabia created a new route to making the fight.
Fury emerged victorious and had been expected ringside for AJ’s fight with Prenga
Now, after years of failed negotiations and multiple points at which the fight appeared close before falling apart, the contracts have finally been signed.
Joshua-Fury is no longer a fight being negotiated.
It is happening.
November 20. Madison Square Garden. Or, so they say…
