By Daily Review Online
Tyson Fury has claimed his long-awaited heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua could be on the verge of collapse amid a dispute over where the fight should take place.
The British heavyweight rivals are reportedly being lined up to meet on November 20, with New York’s Madison Square Garden emerging as the preferred venue. However, negotiations have stalled over the location.
Joshua’s existing contract reportedly requires the bout to be staged in the United Kingdom, while Saudi boxing figure Turki Alalshikh and streaming platform Netflix are pushing for the fight to take place in the United States.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has reportedly submitted additional terms for the proposed US venue, including a higher purse to compensate Joshua for additional tax costs.
Fury reacted angrily to the development, accusing Hearn and Joshua of demanding more money and suggesting that their demands could prevent the fight from happening.
“It doesn’t look like they are going to sign the fight, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen,” Fury said in a social media post, before launching a series of insults at Joshua and Hearn.
However, Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith said negotiations were still ongoing and insisted that Joshua’s contractual obligations remained in place.
“We’ve got a contract; our job is to abide by the terms we signed up to,” Smith said.
He added that the fight could still be staged in the United States, but Joshua’s contract would first have to be amended.
For now, the proposed November showdown remains uncertain, with the dispute over the venue threatening to derail one of boxing’s most anticipated all-British heavyweight clashes.