Eddie Hearn has come under fire for talking too much about the planned Fury vs Joshua superfight this summer, but Bob Arum appears to be taking a leaf out of the Matchroom supremo’s book.
The Top Rank boss has told Dan Rafael of BoxingScene that the world heavyweight title showdown will likely take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The possible dates he says are July 24, July 31 or August 7.
Arum also elaborated on how fans will be able to watch the fight in a wide-ranging interview with the former ESPN man.
Arum on Fury vs Joshua TV
He claims the bout will be a pay-per-view in the United States with ESPN+ and not DAZN getting the call. ‘The Worldwide Leader’ has an exclusive contract with Fury. Sky Sports and BT Sport meanwhile will share pay-per-view rights in the UK as expected.
Arum explained: “The traditional pay-per-view outlets will be part of it, like DirecTV, In Demand, etc. It will be a normal pay-per-view here (in the United States). ESPN will be the distributor.”
If Arum’s take is confirmed, it would be a major blow for DAZN, which has streamed Joshua’s last four bouts in the U.S. dating back to his knockout of Alexander Povetkin in late 2018.
Joint PPV in UK
“Obviously, the big market is the U.K., where everyone is talking it will do 3 million homes,” Arum reasoned. “Sky and BT both will have it on pay-per-view. You will be able to buy it on BT or buy it on Sky. It can’t be exclusive to either.”
As for the venue, while the exact location has yet to be finalised Arum says it will be in Saudi Arabia, and likely in an indoor arena in Jeddah.
“We have (site deal) contracts now that we are marking up and so forth. It’s a big step. We’re just doing the paperwork now with the Saudis.”
Fury and Joshua have signed a two-fight deal and an immediate rematch before the end of 2021 is expected. As for the purses, Arum has already said he expects both mean to earn in the region of $100million each for their first meeting alone.
