Promoters are now zeroing in on late May or early June for the world heavyweight title unification match. And not surprisingly it will result in career-best paydays for both men.
Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn have said negotiations are going well, and they are close to contractual agreement for the fight the world is desperate to see.
Top Rank supremo Arum told Barbershop Conversations: “The Joshua vs Fury fight will earn each of the guys close to $100million. Each of the guys. It is the biggest fight in history in the UK, not even close. Around the world it is the biggest fight that people wanna see.”
While the bout features two British heavyweight world champions fighting for all the marbles, sadly it appears the mega match will not take place in the UK.
With COVID-19 restrictions domestically set to be in place for some time yet, the prospect of 100,000 people filling Wembley in May or June would be practically impossible.
Hearn revealed earlier this week that the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, China, Singapore and America are contending to stage the fight.
Arum went a little further, revealing: “We have a location, that’s true. We have a location and, as far as the date is confirmed, we haven’t zeroed in on a date.
“It could be as late as June because it would give more time to solve the coronavirus problem. By June, most people will be vaccinated, so it’s possible.
“And then we would do the fight, pay-per-view in the UK and pay-per-view early evening in the United States.”
The smart money is on Fury vs Joshua being a joint pay-per-view in the UK with Joshua being contracted to Sky Sports and Fury’s fights airing on BT Sport.
As eye-popping as $100m per fighter is, these sums are still considerably less than what Floyd Mayweather earned in his bouts with Manny Pacquiao in May 2015 and Conor McGregor August 2017.
The undefeated American is believed to have pocketed $275m against McGregor ($85m) and $250m against Pacquiao ($150m), which both cost viewers $99.95 to watch.
Early indications suggest Fury v Joshua could be between £30-£40 for UK fight fans to enjoy on Sky Sports Box Office and BT Sport Box Office.
- For all the latest build-up to Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua, check out furyjoshua.com
