Today (Monday) is THE day when it comes to any hopes of that Fury vs Joshua superfight happening in December.
Whether Tyson Fury likes it or not, we will not get signed contracts in the next few hours. But we may get news which means that becomes inevitable or news that means it is dead in the water.
Key meeting for Fury and Joshua teams
All the key parties involved – including the two relevant UK broadcasters – will meet on Monday in a bid to finalise the deal for this all-British blockbuster to finally take place on Saturday December 3.
The deadline Fury handed down on Saturday – ‘Sign the contract by Monday or I am moving on’ – was described as “ridiculous” by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn. The noises from both promoters – Hearn’s Matchroom and Frank Warren’s Queensberry – have all been positive with a deal between the fighters already in place.
A 60-40 revenue split and all the other major points – including a rematch if Fury loses – are agreed. It appears the main sticking point to discuss on Monday will be the UK broadcast rights. The hottest ticket in town.
Fury vs Joshua PPV deal is key
A Fury vs Joshua pay-per-view would likely produce a record 2million buys in the UK, so no wonder BT Sport and DAZN want this to be right for both of them. Fury is currently aligned to BT and its BT Sport Box Office platform, while AJ has a global deal with streaming platform DAZN.
In boxing politics this tends to be the biggest stumbling block for the biggest fights. When fighters are aligned to different TV networks, it is difficult to put them together. The most believable scenario here would be a joint PPV with both being able to air the bout in the UK.
There is precedent for this – particularly in the U.S. – for example Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson back in 2002. That bout aired on both HBO and Showtime and generated then record revenues. It can work.
So know we wait with baited breath to see if a deal can be hammered out. As we said, unlikely it is signed, sealed and delivered today. But we may get a heck of a lot closer.
Fingers crossed people, fingers crossed.
