Frank Warren is now convinced that Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua will finally take place in 2021, saying “it’s looking really really good” as negotiations enter their final stages.
Draft contracts have been exchanged this week for the first time. And now it is hoped the two British world heavyweight champions will soon sign on the dotted line for a two-fight deal.
It’s expected that the first bout will take place in late May or early June. Very likely outside the UK due to COVID-19. The likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Singapore and China are apparently in the running to play host.
With a huge site fee expected plus likely pay-per-view records, Warren’s fellow promoter Bob Arum says expects both men to earn around $100million each for the first fight alone. Sky Sports Box Office and BT Sport Box Office are expected to share the TV rights in the UK.
Warren confident
Warren meanwhile is clearly confident the deal will be done. He told BT Sport: “I think we’re quite close to getting it over the line. I’ve been very quiet about it. I don’t wanna be spouting my mouth off. It’s looking really really good and I’m quite convinced that the fight will be on this year. They’ll fight each other twice and I believe that we’ll get it over the line.”
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are finally closing in on a two-fight deal ????@frankwarren_tv is convinced we are going to see it in 2021 ???? #FuryJoshua pic.twitter.com/J8PfFLs4MJ
— Boxing on BT Sport ???? (@BTSportBoxing) January 29, 2021
Warren has constantly re-iterated that the collective desire of all parties – he and Arum promote Fury while Eddie Hearn and Matchroom promote Joshua – has been a constant during negotiations. Their will to make this fight happen is total.
“That’s good for the fans because at the end of the day that’s what it’s about. And we are, all of us, trying to make sure it happen. We’re all working together to ensure that we deliver. And I think it’s great that we’re doing that.”
Fury vs Joshua a generational event
While it’s widely accepted that Fury vs Joshua will be the biggest fight in British boxing history, Warren believes it goes much further than that.
“In their prime, got all the belts between them – four belts on the line, first time ever in heavyweight boxing – and they’re British.
“For me, get this fight signed up. This will be the biggest sporting event – forget about boxing – since England won the World Cup. It will get more ink, more online, TV coverage.
“It goes from the sports pages to the news pages. It will be a massive event that we’ll all be talking about for years afterwards.”
The odds for Fury vs Joshua are pretty tight, with ‘The Gypsy King’ shading things at around 4/7. Joshua is as short as 11/8.
