Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is definitely still planned for this summer, and has ruled out the superfight slipping back to September or later.
Fury has talked about walking away from the world heavyweight title unification match if it doesn’t happen soon. ‘The Gypsy King’ has been out of the ring for 14 months since destroying Deontay Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch in February 2020.
But Hearn, speaking to IFL TV, said AJ would also not be waiting around if the bout doesn’t go down this summer.
Hearn on Fury vs Joshua date
He confirmed: “Definitely in the summer. There’s no talk about this fight happening in September, October, November. Two fights this year – that’s it.”
Hearn also updated on the current status of negotiations, with contracts signed by both fighters for a two-fight deal and a venue agreed in principle for their first meeting.
“They’ve signed the contracts to fight. We had to present them last Sunday with the offers that we’ve had. Everybody agreed on this particular offer that come in.
“We move forward, we say to that country ‘we’re in, please let’s move forward to finalise the contract’. Done. That’s all going forward, the contract’s going backwards and forwards tonight to Top Rank, to our lawyers and to AJ.
“I don’t wanna be too brash because everybody said I couldn’t do it and I wouldn’t do it. So jus tin case something catastrophic happens, I’m saying nothing.
Eddie focus on getting it done
“But be warned, if this gets over the line, I may be unbearable. I’m just gonna graft my nuts off, I’m gonna keep my head down, I’m gonna take every obstacle, every hurdle, head on and I’m gonna overcome every one, and I’m gonna get it made.”
Getting a fight of this size over the line during a global pandemic might be the greatest achievement of all for Hearn. The Fury camp in particular has been sceptical for weeks now that the finances exist right now to make it happen.
Both men are expected to earn around $100million each for their first fight alone. That is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia.
The chances of the rematch taking place in the UK appear considerably better with the vaccination programme domestically allowing the Government to consider allowing sizeable crowds back into arenas.