Joshua's Fresh Money Request Imperils Fury Clash

The highly anticipated boxing match between British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, initially scheduled for November, now faces significant uncertainty. Fury has taken to social media to express that the blockbuster bout is in serious doubt, attributing the potential collapse to Joshua's camp requesting a higher fight purse.

In a video posted online, Fury stated, "It doesn't look like they're going to sign the fight. It doesn't look like it's going to happen. All because Eddie Hearn and that want more money. All this talk of wanting the fight in England, we want this, we want that; it's only to get more money to go to America." He emphasized his flexibility regarding the fight's location, adding, "I've bent over backwards to make this fight happen. First of all it was in England, then it was in Ireland, then it was in America; I said I'll go anywhere. I'm not interested where the fight is, I just want the fight, I'm match fit, I'm ready to rock and roll, baby. If you [Joshua] don't want to get it on I'll fight somebody else in November."

Earlier in the week, Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith had informed Sky Sports that negotiations were in a 'critical week' but maintained an optimistic outlook for reaching an agreement. "It will be disappointing for it not to be in the UK, but at the same time if it means seeing the fight, we all want to see that fight happen," Smith remarked. He added, "Let's see how things play out. We're following the terms of what we signed up to right now, which is a fight in the UK. That is what we signed up to, and when the fight was announced in March, April time, the fight was signed, those were the terms we signed up for. They are the conversations really that are taking place right now. MSG is a proposed venue that they would like to look at, i.e The Ring Magazine, Saudi delegation, so let's see." Smith also noted the tight timeline for a November fight, stating, "I think November is possible. Later in November is possible, but again the next seven to 10 days, a lot of progress has got to be made in order to make that happen to get [fighters] into camp to give yourself that eight-to-10-week period, a dedicated camp away from all the promotional obligations."

This isn't the first time an anticipated clash between Joshua and Fury has faced hurdles. In 2021, plans for a fight fell through after a US judge mandated Fury to fulfill a trilogy bout against Deontay Wilder. Adding to the current concerns, Spencer Brown, Fury's manager, also conveyed his unease to Sky Sports regarding the lack of progress in announcing the Joshua fight. "Everybody's got a bit of doubt in their mind," Brown said. "There's reasons you could think that. If you'd asked me a week ago, I'd have said no, but now it's a little bit concerning that things haven't progressed down the line. We need to get this fight on."