BRITISH boxing fans are set to be in for a treat this winter as Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will FINALLY face off.
The Gypsy King called out Joshua after claiming that talks with Ukrainian machine Oleksandr Usyk had stalled.
Anthony Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk for a second consecutive time
But after weeks of negotiations, AJ shockingly accepted Fury’s offer despite disappointingly losing to Usyk less than a month ago.
Here is everything you need to know about Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury.
Joshua vs Fury – when will it happen?
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury was originally set to take place over two fights, with the pair verbally agreeing a deal last summer.
The first fight was supposed to happen in August before Deontay Wilder’s team won a legal battle against Fury, securing the Bronze Bomber’s right to a contracted trilogy rematch, which he lost.
But negotiations are progressing nicely and it seems as if the huge fight will happen on December 3.
Joshua vs Fury – where will it take place?
As stated by Hearn, the first fight was likely to take place in Saudi Arabia, with a second eyed to take place in the UK.
Anthony Joshua successfully regained his titles against Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi while Tyson Fury wowed the crowd by making a WWE appearance in the Gulf State.
However reports suggest the ‘Battle of Britain’ clash will take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Joshua vs Fury – how much will they earn?
A lot. That’s the simple answer.
But a figure of £70million has been floating around with Tyson Fury set to take home 60% of the purse whilst AJ takes 40%.
Hearn also spoke earlier this year about how he expects the pair to make ‘Mayweather money’, referencing the grand purses Floyd used to pull in for his fights.
“It’s certainly I think, you know, the biggest fight, the most lucrative fight, in boxing right now – unquestionably,” Hearn said.
“That’s Mayweather money. You know? And we haven’t seen Mayweather money since Mayweather.
“I think it’s impossible to give a number. There’s no set purses for this fight because, obviously, it’s a revenue share. But it’s certainly gonna break records everywhere.”
Joshua vs Fury – what hurdles are left to clear?
Fortunately for boxing fans… none!
The venue, purse and date of the fight have all been agreed which means that these two iconic heavyweights can prepare for ‘Battle of Britain’.
When will Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua take place? All you need to know on blockbuster bout
Joshua vs Fury – what channel will it be on in the UK?
This could be a tricky one.
Joshua had an exclusive deal with Sky Sports in the UK, but it expired after his fight with Usyk, and while Fury’s deal with BT Sport isn’t exclusive, he’s closely aligned with them.
Fury, however, has fought on Sky Sports Box Office before, most notably for his world heavyweight title win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Don’t be surprised if the two sides come to an agreement where both Sky and BT decide to work together on a dual-broadcast.
Streaming DAZN, however, are also a part of the UK market, as they exclusively broadcast all of Matchroom’s fight nights.
One thing holding any potential bids from DAZN, however, is that they don’t offer fights on pay-per-view, like Sky and BT do.
In the U.S., the situation is also tricky.
Fury has an exclusive deal with ESPN, while Joshua’s last four fights have been shown on streaming service DAZN in the U.S.
ESPN offer a pay-per-view service for their big fight nights while DAZN work on a subscription-based model, making a deal for the fight to be shown on both channels difficult.
Joshua vs Fury – what have they all said?
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that they have accepted the offer after thrashing out talks with Frank Warren’s son George
Hearn said: “We just went back this morning and said, I spoke to AJ about that offer, we think, I think particularly he deserves more than 40 per cent.
“But, he’s happy. And I don’t make the decisions, he does. So I went back this morning and said, ‘We accept 60/40’.
“We want that reversed in the rematch, rightfully so because you’re champion here, you want the bigger split, which I think is fair.
“They’re all former good men, back in the early 2000s, late 2000s, but not in 2020-odd. They were good men 10 years ago.”
Hearn: “I think AJ, in his head, probably thinks the fight will never happen. I would like to be more hopeful and I think it will happen.
“If AJ knocks out Usyk and Fury knocks out Wilder then in four months we are talking about an even bigger fight. One could lose or look bad but I do get the feeling if they both win then the fight is huge. I am hoping it works out for the best.”
