Top Rank president Todd DuBoef says making a Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua superfight is still top priority and says it is “as big a fight as anything I’ve seen in the sport”.
It was announced on June 10, to much fanfare, that the pair had agreed in principle the financial structure of a two-fight deal. The first of those two meetings looks likely to take place in the summer of 2021 – COVID-19 permitting.
Top Rank co-promotes Fury along with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, and DuBoef told Sky Sports: “There is a gravitation to bring the titles together, and that would be Joshua and Fury. Obviously we would have loved to do that before the end of this year, but for the pandemic. I don’t think anybody is wavering from that objective.
“Both guys have great personalities, they can fight, and it is overdue. Let’s get it done.
“It would be the biggest fight in the history of the UK, for sure. In order to be a really big fight you have to have a large gate; for example Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao did $70million at the gate. I don’t know what the world will look like in spring 2021.
“What will the economics look like? We need to see how things change. But it’s as big a fight as anything I’ve seen in the sport.”
Before he can look ahead to that Joshua mega match, Fury (30-0-1) of course must safely negotiate a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder (42-1-1). ‘The Gypsy King’ is due to put his WBC, Ring magazine and lineal titles on the line on Saturday December 19. The date and venue though have still to be officially confirmed with the pandemic still causing carnage in the United States.
“We’re looking at December 19, obviously Vegas is one of the places which is a high priority to do it in,” DuBoef said. “That’s where we are.
“We have been flexible and fluid in the entertainment and sports business. It is important to be patient, play it out, make sure it happens at the right time. That looks like a nice date in December to target it.
“It is a fair date to earmark, to give us time to put everything together. Everybody has been frustrated, not just Fury, Wilder, Joshua or Pulev. All the athletes have.
“We’re all trying to work with what our jurisdiction is, work with what our restrictions are, to get the guys back in the ring as quickly as possible. I speak to PBC [who advise Wilder] – we are all looking at that date.
“Nobody wants a false start. Deontay and Tyson have such big personalities – get them riled up and you can’t stop the train rolling.”
Fury recently said that despite all the talk of Joshua, Wilder remains the most dangerous opponent out there for him – he did remember put ‘The Gypsy King’ on the floor not once but twice in their first meeting – a draw in Los Angeles in December 2018.
DuBoef said: “Fury has blossomed into a wonderful heavyweight but Wilder has dynamite in both hands. You can never blink or take him lightly because, in one second, it can be over.”
While Fury has the trilogy match against Wilder to take care of, Joshua also has interim business before any all-British unification match. He defends his IBF, WBA and WBO titles against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in London on Saturday December 12.
