Barry Hearn has called on London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan to help bring Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury to the English capital.
Currently, the British heavyweight fight looks like it will take place in the US or not at all, due to an ongoing contract dispute.
Joshua’s contract is for a bout on home soil, while Fury’s is more flexible on location. Along with other key figures, the “Gypsy King” is pushing for a clash in New York City on 20 November.
open image in galleryThe city’s iconic Madison Square Garden was first mentioned as a possible venue after an apparent issue with ring-walk times at Wembley Stadium, where the main event would have to begin at 2am BST – according to Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh.
Now promoter Barry Hearn, the father of Joshua’s direct promoter Eddie, has weighed in on the situation.
“I hope a fight takes place, I believe it should be in London,” Hearn told Coral. “I think Sadiq Khan will move heaven and earth to get a late-night extension, so that the US audience gets their prime time.
“It’ll be a little bit inconvenient, but they want British fight fans spending thousands of pounds to see a fight that really should be happening at Wembley.”
Speaking about negotiations more generally, Hearn said: “I am so confused with this. I mean, in my life, it’s always black and white; it’s always simple. But I’m a boring accountant, you know? So I go by the rules, I play by the rules.
“I try to utilise all the integrity in me to do the right thing, so we have signed a contract – in good faith, as the gentlemen we are – for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
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open image in gallery“We represent Anthony Joshua, he is our client. The contract says that the fight will be staged in the UK, which is fine. Apparently, now, they want to do it in New York.
“And AJ – who’s the boss, who we work for, not the other way round – really wants to repay the British fight fans by giving them the fight they’ve waited 10 years for.
“It’s not about money, it’s about what is written in black and white. And all we’re saying to the other side is: we don’t have a problem with this fight, but if we sign something, he’ll follow the wording of the contract.
open image in gallery“They seem to think they can just change anything, and that’s not how our world works, as they will find out.”
Former champions Joshua, 36, and Fury, 38, were both last in competition in July.
Fury outpointed a 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand, with the fight broadcast nowhere, one day before Joshua survived two shock knockdowns in round one to stop Kristian Prenga in round two.
Joshua’s outing came seven months after he survived a fatal car crash, which killed two of his teammates in Nigeria.