Are Negotiations For Anthony Joshua – Tyson Fury Fight Close To Being Finalized?
Ever since IBF/WBA ‘Super’/WBO Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s (24-1, 22 KOs) seventh-round TKO over IBF Heavyweight mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev (28-2, 14 KOs) on December 12, 2020, he and WBC Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) have been in negotiations for a fight in 2021.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, and Fury’s co-promoters, Bob Arum and Frank Warren, are hard at work trying to hammer out a deal. During an interview with Sky Sports, Arum says that there has been a great deal of progress.
“I don’t want to make a deadline, but I just can report that everything so far has been going splendidly, and we hope to have a signed document within the next couple of weeks.
That might not provide for a site because again, we can have a document that the fighters would have signed, and everything, and then have a mutual agreement clause of the site.
We’re all on the same page, as far as I can see. I’m 95 percent confident the fight happens, and I’m 100 percent confident that my guy wins, and wins by knockout.”
This news is very encouraging. Anticipation for this fight goes back to June of 2020 when Joshua and Fury agreed in principle to a two-fight deal.
POSSIBLE STUMBLING BLOCK
Despite the optimism, factors could impede this showdown from happening. Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) is the WBO mandatory Heavyweight challenger. He has been dogmatic about securing a fight against Joshua. Asked about that possible barrier, the CEO of Top Rank Promotions seems to not be that concerned.
“He is the mandatory for the WBO, so we will ask the WBO to allow this fight to happen with Fury and Joshua, and that would hold off Usyk.
If we were not able to accomplish that, well maybe before we try to accomplish that, we would reach some kind of solution with Usyk where he fights somebody else, maybe on the same card. We’ll find a solution.”
The hope is those issues can be resolved. Joshua v Fury is the fight that the fans want to see. This would be a super-fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship and the biggest sporting event of the year. Stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing for further developments on this fluid story.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
