Boxing
Warren provides latest update on Fury vs Joshua - How long will fans have to wait for official announcement?
Moses vs Hrgovic: Watch only on DAZN PPV - Aug 29
The consensus amongst those involved in organising Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is that the heavyweight super-fight will take place, with November being the likely date for the battle boxing fans have waited so long for.
After Joshua attended Fury’s win over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, a brief staredown between the pair provided plenty of excitement, but there was still no official confirmation despite the pair being in each other’s company.
Last month, Fury and Joshua featured in separate fights just one day apart, and although both got the win, there was some drama in Joshua’s fight after he had to climb off the floor twice to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round.
With both men coming through their contests, it looked straightforward that a meeting would shortly be announced, but three weeks later, similar problems relating to all big fights, including location, appear to be holding the fight up.
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Hearn and Joshua are pushing for the fight to be at Wembley Stadium in London, but others involved in the fight prefer Madison Square Garden, with the American audience seen as key for the success of this fight.
As those negotiations go on, November gets closer, and with each fighter wanting an eight-week camp for the biggest moment of their professional lives, something must give soon regarding an official declaration that the fight will happen.
Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, will play a huge part in the fight’s promotion and he has provided an update on where things stand currently.
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“The fight will happen. I’ve heard what Eddie has said. They’re either going to agree to it or not. If they don’t agree to it, then the fight won’t happen,” said Warren when speaking to Boxnation
“Tyson signed for the fight back in January; the fight was supposed to happen in September. They were supposed to have a warm-up fight in September.
“Unfortunately, there was that terrible, tragic accident that ‘AJ’ was in where he lost two of his best friends, and that held everything up, but the fight, I understand, will be November, and the venue will be announced in due course.”
DAZN News' Senior Boxing Reporter Chris Walker on Fury/Joshua
Fury and Joshua will need to start camp soon
The longer this fight isn’t announced, the more jeopardy the bout is in, but surely both men realise that it is now or never.
They say no news is good news, but in boxing, it’s very much the opposite, and after their last fights, almost a month ago, there was an expectation a face-off would occur in the ring before the fight was made official.
That would've been a remarkable moment for boxing, but the wait for Fury vs Joshua is still ongoing - for how long?
Each man will need to be back in the gym by the middle of September, and before that would likely be an international press tour that would take in various cities in Britain, America, and possibly even the Middle East. The end of August or beginning of next month would surely be the target date for those vital events, but nothing is pencilled in as it stands.
November may be the target date for those pulling the strings, but it’s hard to imagine that there wouldn't be flexibility if it needed to go to December or even into next year.
Fury and Joshua have made a habit of making fans wait for this fight. It looks like they're staying true to form with discussions for the contest, but as long as the end result is the two of them in the ring, fight fans may finally be rewarded for their patience.
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