Frank Warren has played down fears from his fighter Tyson Fury that the big showdown with Anthony Joshua is not going to happen any time soon.
A clearly frustrated Fury said earlier this week that while he believed the all-British heavyweight title unification would happen eventually, it is not “imminent”. This despite both Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn saying everything is agreed contractually.
Warren, who co-promotes Fury along with Arum, told talkSPORT: “We’ve all agreed to announce any news simultaneously, so I can’t break a confidence I’ve agreed to.
“But what I can say is that everything is agreed, it’s an imminent announcement and we’ve got to work on a site, and that’s it.
“It’s absolutely moving in the right direction and everybody is on the same page. Nobody is more frustrated than the fighters and us, we’ve worked like you cannot believe to get this over the line.”
Fury peed off
Fury has not fought since February 2020, when he destroyed Deontay Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch. His trilogy fight with Wilder, planned for December, bit the dust as did a planned UK homecoming fight.
“I think Tyson is a bit peed off about it because it’s dragging on and on and on,” explained Warren.
“Hopefully everybody will be getting the good news soon, they’ll be happy and everyone can more onto the next stage of this, which is to get this site sorted out.
“We hope it doesn’t happen later, we’re working hard to get it done sooner rather than later.
“The contracts are agreed and they will be signed, 100 per cent, I’m confident of that. By the end of the week? I hope so!”
Recent sound bites from Arum and Hearn have suggested that June or July is now the likeliest date for Fury and Joshua to meet for the first time. It is expected they would then fight an immediate rematch.
The likely venue for the first fight is the Middle East due to COVID-19 restrictions in the UK. It is hoped the rematch though could be staged on these shores.
Both men are expected to receive around $100million for the first fight – which should result in the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in November 1999.
