When you have two promoters negotiating a huge fight, you ideally want them on the same page on where negotiations stand – it’s pretty concerning then that Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum don’t even appear to be reading the same book for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.
While Hearn’s mantra this week (as previously) has been that the bout is close to being finalised – “on the doorstep, ready to be delivered” – Arum has a very different take.
The 89-year-old Hall of Famer believes the chances of the unification match happening in early August as planned is “dead in the water”. Instead he says the two men shobould find other opponents for the summer, and meet instead later in the year.
Summer fight dead in the water – Arum
It is the sheer logistics of getting all details ironed out in time for the bout to take place in the summer which lead Arum to this conclusion. The site fee alone – believed to be with Saudi Arabia – is reportedly $150million, not something which can be rushed through.
Inactivity a concern for Fury
In a nutshell though Arum and Hearn could not appear to be further apart in their take on where things stand. One believes the deal is almost done. The other believes it is a country mile away.
“It is absurd what Hearn is saying that it is a done deal,” said Arum.
“If we had just done a site deal without all the other complications that have arisen, we would have a fight by now. Tyson Fury is fuming about it and is refusing to keep waiting.”
