Frank Warren has confirmed that Saturday August 14 is the planned date for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.
Official confirmation appears to be only a matter of hours or days away after a tense two months of negotiations since the fighters inked a two-fight deal in March.
On Tuesday Eddie Hearn confirmed that Saudi Arabia would be the venue for the fight, and now Warren has confirmed the date promoters are currently working towards.
August 7 a TV issue
He told talkSPORT: “It definitely won’t be on August 7 because that’s when the Olympic games are on and that’s gonna be a problem for TV. Besides that, you’ve got a UFC PPV in the States and UK.
“So if it goes on, it’ll be on August 14. I don’t think the date is the problem at all, I think everyone’s agreed that can be moved to August 14.”
Warren remains confident
While the wait to get the site agreement finalised is an agonising one, Warren – who co-promotes Fury along with Bob Arum – remains confident the biggest fight in British boxing history will happen.
“What we’re all trying to do is get this over the line, but the only way we’ll get it over the line is by the fighter, Tyson, getting certain assurances,” he explained.
“If he gets them, he’ll put pen to paper, but as it is now, he’s waiting for the other side’s lawyers to confirm what he wants.”
Fury vs Joshua date a boost for AJ
The bout being scheduled for August 14 is a boost for Joshua as well as British fight fans. It should mean his trainer Robert McCracken should be able to head up his corner against Fury. Prior to that McCracken will be in Tokyo for the Olympics with the Great Britain team.
Fury vs Joshua should result in the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis back in 1999. And the pair are then expected to hold an immediate rematch before the end of the year.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly paying a record site fee of around $150million (£107million) for the right to host the bout, which is expected to take place in the city of Jeddah in an indoor arena.
Sky Sports and BT Sport are expected to share broadcast rights in the UK, with ESPN likely to have the U.S. rights.
