Earlier this week, promoter Eddie Hearn got plenty of people quite excited when he stated how he and Bob Arum have been in talks regarding a super-fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua taking place as soon as this December. Some websites even ran articles saying the fight was “set” for December.
It is, of course, a massive fight we all want to see: two British heavyweight fighters, slugging it out for ALL the belts. But not so fast. Rival British promoter Frank Warren has stated how Hearn has NOT spoken with Arum about this fight, and that he cannot do so “until all parties” sit around a table and make the fight.
Speaking with IFL TV, Warren said he has spoken to Arum and that “Bob said there have been no negotiations.”
“Yesterday we had a phone press conference and Bob said there have been no negotiations [between he and Hearn on the subject of a Fury-Joshua fight], they haven’t taken place, someone is being very fanciful with the truth for a change,” Warren said. “Any negotiations have to involve all parties sitting around a party and no-one is going to change that. The man who matters is Tyson and the other guy who matters is AJ and everybody has to do the best for the two fighters. It’s not about anyone’s ego, it’s about getting the fights on. The only way you can get a deal is for the people to sit down and talk and that is all the parties, it’s not for someone to come out with rubbish that hasn’t taken place.”
Of course, Fury must first get past Deontay Wilder in their third fight (possible to go ahead on July 18), whereas Joshua must beat Kubrat Pulev on June 20. Then, assuming both rival champions truly want the fight, talks can begin in earnest. Hearn says he really wants this fight to take place, that Joshua “wants it bad” as well. But it seems Hearn’s talk that the fight is already being negotiated is a case of his jumping the gun.
Let’s await Hearn’s response to Warren’s response to Hearn’s earlier statements!
