A matchup between heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is one step closer to reality.
Joshua agreed to terms presented by Fury last week: a 60-40% split of revenues in favor of Fury and the date of the proposed fight, December 3, according to a tweet from Joshua’s manager, 258 Management. Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren responded by saying that a contract was on the way.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, said last week that 60-40 was acceptable. The manager’s announcement confirms this.
Joshua-Fury update:
258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accept all the terms presented to us by the Fury team for a fight on Friday, December 3.
Due to the death of the Queen, it was agreed to suspend all communication.
We are waiting for an answer.
– 258MGT (@258mgt) September 13, 2022
258 tweeted: “258 and Matchroom Boxing can confirm, on behalf of Anthony Joshua, that we accept all terms presented to us by the Fury team for a fight on Friday December 3rd. Due to the death of the Queen, it was agreed to suspend all communication. We are waiting for a response.”
Warren tweeted back: “The contract will be with you very soon.”
The venue for the fight has not been determined, although the 80,000-capacity Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales is one of the leading contenders because it has a retractable roof.
The parties have not indicated that broadcast/television rights will be handled, which may be a sticking point. Fury is affiliated with BT Sports in the UK and ESPN in the US. Joshua is affiliated with DAZN.
Hearn warned in an interview with IFL TV last Wednesday: “In essence, we accept the offer. Lots of conversations to have.”
Fury spoke to TalkSport the same day.
“I think [60-40] it is more than generous,” he said. “I didn’t want to go in and start offering them 20% like they would have done to me. However, I really want this fight to happen like [Oleksandr] Usyk, the little middleweight, doesn’t want to smoke like I thought he didn’t, and now I’m going after AJ.
“I already beat Deontay Wilder, so there’s only one other person and that’s AJ, the bodybuilder! So why not give him 40 percent? Give him no excuses and let’s do the fight for the British public.”
The highly anticipated matchup would have seemed unlikely a few weeks ago because Fury was expected to fight Usyk for the undisputed championship. However, Usyk indicated that he would not be available until next year.
Fury wants to get back in the ring in the meantime. Enter Joshua, who is coming off back-to-back losses to Usyk but is still a marketable fighter. Indeed, an all-British Fury-Joshua showdown would be a huge event, particularly in the UK.
Fury and Joshua seemed headed for a matchup last year. However, a judge in the US ruled that Fury was obligated to honor a rematch agreement and fight Wilder for a third time.
That fight took place in October and Fury stopped Wilder in 11 rounds, his second consecutive KO of the former champion. He then knocked out Dillian Whyte in six rounds last April, Fury’s most recent fight.
Joshua, meanwhile, lost three of the four major titles to Usyk via unanimous decision in September of last year and then lost via split decision in the rematch on August 20. That should give him plenty of time to prepare for a fight with Fury in December.
Gallery
Photos: Tyson Fury’s knockout of Deontay Wilder in the all-time classic
