Veteran boxing promoter Barry Hearn has urged London Mayor Sadiq Khan to help secure Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury for the capital, calling it “the fight Britain deserves.”
Hearn in a chat with Coral, said London must do everything to prevent the all-British heavyweight showdown from being sold abroad again.
Both Joshua and Fury have fought for world titles in Saudi Arabia in recent years due to massive site fees. Hearn says it’s time to change that.
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Hearn called on Khan to work with the government and private investors to build a funding package that can compete.
“I hope a fight takes place, I believe it should be in London,” Hearn told Coral. “I think Sadiq Khan will move heaven and earth to get a late-night extension, so that the US audience gets their prime time.
“It’ll be a little bit inconvenient, but they want British fight fans spending thousands of pounds to see a fight that really should be happening at Wembley.”
Speaking about negotiations more generally, Hearn said: “I am so confused with this. I mean, in my life, it’s always black and white; it’s always simple. But I’m a boring accountant, you know? So I go by the rules, I play by the rules.
“I try to utilise all the integrity in me to do the right thing, so we have signed a contract – in good faith, as the gentlemen we are – for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
“We represent Anthony Joshua, he is our client. The contract says that the fight will be staged in the UK, which is fine. Apparently, now, they want to do it in New York.
“And AJ – who’s the boss, who we work for, not the other way round – really wants to repay the British fight fans by giving them the fight they’ve waited 10 years for.
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“It’s not about money, it’s about what is written in black and white. And all we’re saying to the other side is: we don’t have a problem with this fight, but if we sign something, he’ll follow the wording of the contract.
“They seem to think they can just change anything, and that’s not how our world works, as they will find out.”
Both men have publicly said they want to fight each other in the UK. But without major backing, the bout is likely to end up overseas again.
