Eddie Hearn says the eagerly-awaited Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua superfight is “verbally agreed” for May or June and contracts are now being drafted.
Mike Coppinger of The Athletic revealed the news on Twitter early on Sunday with Hearn in Texas to watch Canelo Alvarez dismantle Callum Smith in their super-middleweight title showdown on DAZN.
Fury vs Joshua: Only minor details remain
Coppinger’s Tweet said Hearn claims only minor details including the venue and who comes into the ring last remain to be agreed. And he also says that the fight will happen next.
If true, that means there will be no Fury vs Deontay Wilder trilogy match yet – their planned December meeting was scuppered at the last minute.
It also means that WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk will not get his shot at the title currently held by Joshua just yet.
Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua is verbally agreed to and contracts are being drafted for the heavyweight championship fight in May/June. Hearn says only “minor issues to resolve” such as who walks last, the site, etc. This fight is going to happen next #FuryJoshua
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) December 20, 2020
Usyk had hinted earlier in the weekend that he could be open to stepping aside to allow Fury and Joshua to meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Usyk to step aside for Fury vs Joshua?
When asked if he would consider moving aside, he told SunSport: “All four belts might end up in the same hands of one person.
“It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We should all talk and communicate for that to happen because it is a really big event.”
The biggest remaining hot potato for Fury vs Joshua is likely to be the venue. Bookmakers have been offering as big as 10/1 that the fight happens in the UK. Saudi Arabia is hot favourite with the territory expected to offer a mammoth site fee to stage the landmark event.
Fury and Joshua agreed in principle the financial structure for a two-fight deal back on June 10. Some media outlets claim that could be worth an eye-popping £500million in total.
Hearn has said the bout could still happen in the UK. But he added the final decision would lie with the fighters. He also said it would likely mean them taking less money to do so.
