TYSON FURY or Anthony Joshua could still walk away from their £500million, two-fight deal if they feel the pandemic-hit windfall is not enough.
The contract for a 50-50 split of their first purse, with the winner getting 60-40 of the rematch, was signed this week.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn and Fury‘s Top Rank team will now listen to site fee offers from the Middle East, USA and Asia.
But – if there are still fan restrictions or travel bans on the interested territories – the money could be slashed before it is even carved up.
And Hearn, who has a close partnership with Saudi Arabia after taking Joshua vs Andy Ruiz II there in 2019, admits the 30-day race to find a cash-splashing venue will be a tense one.
When asked if all the hard work could still go up in smoke, Hearn said: “Yeah, if people don’t like the deal.
“Ultimately everyone is going to go now and look for the biggest site fee as a team and then present it to the fighters.
“There’s no fight financially that will come close to this for both guys.
“Already the offers we have are considerable so I don’t see an issue with that. I just think some people are more optimistic than others.
“Our track record speaks for itself. We are the only ones to deliver a major fight in the Middle East with a major site deal and the people who we did that deal are desperate to stage this fight.”
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Fury has warned his Top Rank team and ESPN broadcasters that he is contractually entitled to two 2021 fights where his flat fee is around £12million per bout.
Last week he roared: “I’ve got two fights this year and I don’t care who it’s with – Joe Bloggs, Mike Tyson, Fred Flintstone, anybody”.
So the WBC Gypsy King will be able to decide if he takes the easy route against a couple of cherry-picked opponents for guaranteed mega-money.
Or faces Watford’s WBA, IBF and WBO boss – for the undisputed honour – in a much riskier fight that he will have to split with his old rival.
Hearn recognises the danger but hopes Fury”s competitive nature leads him to the biggest fight in British boxing history.
“I don’t know. That’s over to them,” he said when asked if Fury’s deal could scupper the plan.
“I would like to believe Tyson Fury wants to fight Anthony Joshua.
“What I would like to hear from him is ‘the only fight I want is Anthony Joshua’ because that is how we feel.
“The only fight that AJ wants is Tyson Fury.”
