Eddie Hearn, who has long lobbied for the heavyweight showdown between his charge Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to be held in the UK, today announced that Wembley Stadium in London is back in play to host.
It’s been a long road to get this far.
Contracts were signed earlier in the year but the details on them didn’t match and one of those details, the territory in which the fight would take place, was an important one: Joshua’s contract, unlike Fury’s, stipulated a UK venue.
And so began a long and winding saga.
Financiers Sela – led by Turki Alalshikh – and broadcasters Netflix were insisting on the fight being staged in America with Madison Square Garden in New York the consensus choice to stage a fight between two British heavyweights.
Their reasoning being that the event would generate a greater audience if it started during US prime time hours.
Yet Joshua’s contract hadn’t changed. He had signed for a fight in the UK.
Initially there were requests for a new contract for the new location, but the terms on it, like the financial bottom line and media commitments, were not in line with the contract that had been signed in the first place.
Hearn, under Joshua’s orders, continued to battle for the original contract to be honored.
On Friday the promoter claimed on Instagram that there had been a breakthrough.
“I want to thank everyone for the unbelievable support!” Hearn wrote. The words on accompanying image read: ‘WEMBLEY OR NOWHERE’.
“You have been heard and talks have now re-opened for Wembley.
“Let’s make history with one of the biggest sporting moments [Britain] has ever seen.”
It’s understood that New York remains in play, however. Talks might be underway but the resolution Joshua and Hearn want is far from guaranteed.
The Athletic reported that Hearn has been instructed by Sela to broker a deal with London Mayor Sadiq Khan – who this week threw his support around the plan – to bring the showdown to Wembley.
It could all hang on the London Stadium changing its curfew to 2am to ensure it still begins when Sela and Netflix believe it will generate its biggest audience. The stadium’s curfew currently stands at 11pm.
“So what I’m doing is kind of saying to these people, listen, you’re saying it’s all about the start time. So if I get this start time, what’s the problem?” Hearn told The Athletic.
“We will fight [Joshua] on the moon,” added Fury’s manager Spencer Brown. “We would love it in England or New York.”
