United States
United Kingdom
Boxing fans were thrilled when Eddie Hearn announced that WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion Anthony Joshua and WBC champ Tyson ‘Gypsy King’ Fury had signed a two fight contract. Hearn who promotes Joshua confirmed that while the fight contract was signed a location and date needed to be finalized.
Joshua vs. Fury is going to be the biggest heavyweight boxing fight since Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield and a number of venues are very keen on securing the right to host this mega heavyweight fight. Hearn said that Las Vegas, Los Angeles, California, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom were some of the potential venues.
Hearn announced that he prefers the boxing bout to take place in July 2021 latest so that a second fight can take place before the end of the year. Hearn is expected to travel to a number of locations in the next couple of weeks to finalize the venue and the fight date.
talkSPORT
Saudi Arabia has reached out to Eddie Hearn and expressed their desire to host the fight given the fact that they hosted Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz 2 in December 2019. Hearn is also keen on Saudi Arabia claiming that whatever they promised for the Joshua vs. Ruiz fight, they delivered and provided a world class experience.
One factor that may not work in favour for Saudi Arabia is that July would be peak summer in the Middle East with temperatures soaring. This is not the ideal scenario for a heavyweight boxing fight but given the amount of money Saudi Arabia will offer, Hearn could be tempted to close.
Wembley Stadium With 100,000 Fans Possible
The second possibility is for Hearn to finalize a deal and have the fight take place in Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 fans. This would definitely be a big plus as both Fury and Joshua will be able to fight on home soil in front of their home crowd. It will also be an interesting experience for the fans to see which fighter gets more crowd support.
The UK is opening up stadiums for UEFA Euro 2020 and fans will be welcome. Hearn will need to see if he can work out a deal for late June or early July. While hosting the fight in the UK will be great for the fans, it will also mean less money for the promoters and fighters as they will not be able to match Saudi Arabia’s offer which is currently being kept confidential.
