Frank Warren has denied Tyson Fury’s claim that Thursday was the final deadline for the pair to agree on an all-British heavyweight world title fight.
As World Boxing News reported, Fury vs Joshua collapsed on the same day due to Fury’s “take it or leave it” demands. American promoter Bob Arum also said he hadn’t heard from Joshua’s manager, Eddie Hearn, about accepting a deal.
So, as far as the fight goes, she was dead in the water Thursday afternoon. That was before the entire UK went into mourning for the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at 4:30pm that day.
Fury had bombarded Joshua with videos on social media for hours before learning of The Queen’s passing. Since then, “The Gypsy King” has posted a tribute and has had no further activity on their accounts.
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Warren now says that due to the Queen’s death, negotiations for the collision are simply on hold.
“Tyson and I just don’t feel it’s appropriate at this time out of respect for the Royal Family,” Warren told talkSPORT on Sunday.
Last week, the Hall of Famer was confident the two sides could strike a deal for the biggest heavyweight fight involving a UK boxer in two decades.
“It will be in the UK and hopefully in November. That’s what we’re seeing,” Warren said. “The way we make it work is that Tyson insists that the fight is in the UK.
“So it has to work. He wants to fight here and meet the British fans.”
Warren added how significant the event would be: “It will offer significant input because there is huge interest from the British public.
“It will break all pay-per-view records. Everything it generates is what it’s worth.”
fury against joshua
Concluding on whether Hearn and Joshua have shown interest, the Londoner replied: “Once they confirm they are interested and accept the role we are in, we will work collectively to maximize revenue for each other.
“The point is that Tyson wants to fight here. That is what he has said. He has repeatedly said that if he fights him, he wants to fight him in the UK.”
As of now, Fury and Joshua could resurrect a deal. However, Arum remains skeptical and is already probing alternative opponents.
Mahmoud Charr appears to be a solid option. However, the former WBA regular champion is not ranked in the WBC Top 15, as required for a voluntary title defense.
As WBN reported, Fury would need a special sanction request for Charr. He has to be introduced to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman for any green belt and gold opportunity.
The views expressed in this article are the views of Phil Jay.
WBN editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. He follows WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
