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By: Sean Crose
If Anthony Joshua doesn’t get in the ring with Tyson Fury by this summer, he may not get in the ring with him at all. So Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn informed iFL TV on a video released Saturday. The promoter was referring to the much anticipated Anthony Joshua – Tyson Fury fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Negotiations have been going on for what seems like forever now, and Fury has recently expressed his frustration at the process. Hearn, however, stated last week in an interview with ESPN that both fighters had signed to fight. This was met with cheers and some skepticism, as some keen eyes noticed no date or venue had been presented yet – issues that could possibly derail any fight, signed or not.
Frank Warren, who promotes Fury along with Bob Arum, is reportedly not confident the much hoped for bout will go down this summer. It’s also been reported Warren would rather the match happen later in the year in the United Kingdom. “Yeah,” Hearn quips on the video, “Frank Warren would definitely rather it happen in the UK where the money is about 30%.” As Joshua’s promoter, Hearn makes it clear in the interview that he wants to keep people interested while working to make the bout as big as possible.
“I cleared it with Fury’s team that it would be okay to say so,” Hearn says of his letting ESPN know of the fight being signed. “He (Warren) obviously didn’t get that memo.” Hearn goes on to let his displeasure with this latest development be known. “I wanted to give people the news,” he says. “Frank Warren, I mean, what is he doing…what message are you giving out to people? Do you want it to happen in the summer? Because we do.”
Hearn then goes on to give what some might perceive as dire news regarding the fight. “In fact,” he says, “if it don’t happen in the summer, it might not happen at all. And it might not be for the undisputed championship.” Still, Hearn claims to be hopeful. “We’ve all signed,” he continues. “All we’ve got to do now is confirm the date and venue.” In the interview, the promoter then makes it a point to reassure fans. “Put it this way,” he says, “we know what we’re doing.”
Yet Hearn also goes on to reiterate his warning. “If it don’t happen in the summer,” he says, “you might lose it forever…let’s make it happen.”
