“The fight can take place in the snow. I don’t really care, so long as it takes place.”
Eddie Hearn remains confident Anthony Joshua’s mega-fight with Tyson Fury will take place in the UK this November.
Joshua will make his comeback on July 25 in a tune-up bout against unfancied Albanian Kristian Prenga while Fury has said he plans to fight on August 1 in Dublin.
Should they both win then British heavyweights will be on a collision course for a long-awaited showdown.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
George Groves admits it’s difficult to pick a clear winner between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua but believes Oleksandr Usyk’s influence on AJ should not be underestimated
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hearn confirmed: “The contract is very clear. It specifically states the fight must take place in the UK. We also understand that Turki Alalshikh is paying for the fight, so if he comes up with a plan to stage the fight somewhere else, there will be a sensible conversation and a renegotiation of that contract if we want to move forward with that.
“The reason that clause was in the contract in the first place was because we all want the fight to take place in the UK. It’s the biggest fight in the history of British boxing, and I know there’s talk of Las Vegas and stuff like this, but I just think it would be a shame not to stage this fight in Britain.
“The fight will take place really where Turki Alalshikh wants it to take place. However, if that is outside the UK there will have to be another conversation with myself, with Anthony Joshua, and I believe with Tyson Fury, who has the same request in his contract for a fight in the UK.”
Hearn says Wembley, which held a record 98,128 for Joshua’s shock defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 is “clear favourite” to hold the fight ahead of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
“No confirmed date yet but the plan for the fight is to take place in November, so pick your Saturday in November,” Hearn continued.
“I think middle Saturday in November is a good shout, but again, we’ve got to get though Prenga and Fury’s fight, which looks like August 1.”
Conor Benn defeated bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr in their rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last November, leaving Hearn with no doubt AJ-Fury can happen – even in wintry conditions!
He joked: “That fight can take place in the snow – I don’t really care, as long as it takes place.”
Hearn: AJ 110 per cent focused
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Andy Scott, Barry Jones, and Shane McGuigan discuss what could scupper plans for the mega fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua
Promoter Hearn also reflected on Joshua’s press conference ahead of his fight with 35-year-old Prenga.
Joshua will mark his return to the ring in his first fight since his knockout victory over Jake Paul in December.
Shortly after his win, Joshua was involved in a tragic car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends and left the former unified heavyweight champion with minor injuries.
“I’ve never heard Joshua speak so clearly about what he wants to do and his focus in the sport,” said Hearn. “There’s been a lot of pressure over the years. A lot of new businesses, management companies, big sponsorship deals but AJ is a perfectionist. He’s always tried to get everything perfect across all his different businesses in and out of the ring and his projects.
“I think it’s taken some of his focus away from boxing. I think he’s realised now, ‘look, I’ve got one last run at this so I want to give it 110 per cent and full focus’ and obviously he’s been in training camp with Oleksandr Usyk and that’s been a massive plus for him.
“The proof will be in the fight. You’ve heard me say a million times, he looks great, camps great, he’s happy, but I’ve never seen him speak so clearly about the future.
“He’s talking about Prenga, he’s talking about Tyson Fury, he’s talking about trying to become undisputed world champion again, so he’s in a good place with his boxing at the moment.
“He’s expected to beat Prenga but it’s a really big banana skin because we know what awaits and it’s the signed fight between him and Tyson Fury, so everyone has got their fingers crossed for July 25.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘AJ will beat Fury!’ | Usyk on ‘helping’ Joshua in camp
A decade of missed chances – How Joshua and Fury never happened
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A look back at some of the most dramatic comebacks in the boxing ring, including Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and more
Joshua and Fury, two of the biggest names in British boxing, have circled one another for the best part of a decade. Fury first became a heavyweight world champion when he upset Wladimir Klitschko a decade ago. Joshua turned professional after winning Olympic gold at London 2012 and rocketed through the pro ranks.
But by the time Joshua picked up his first world title belt in 2016, Fury had stepped away from the sport.
Fury would eventually return and beat Deontay Wilder to become the WBC world champion. Joshua held the unified IBF, WBO and WBA championships and the two were close to fighting in an undisputed heavyweight championship fight.
It was not to be, Fury boxed a third fight with Wilder instead and Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian also defeated Fury, who retired again at the start of last year.
When Fury returned to beat Makhmudov in London earlier this month, Joshua was waiting for the all-clear to resume full training after sustaining injuries in a terrible accident in which two of his close friends and members of his team lost their lives. Joshua is now in camp working with his former rival Usyk, who has backed AJ to beat Fury.
With one more hurdle to clear for Joshua, Kristian Prenga on July 25, the two rivals will finally box in the most richly anticipated heavyweight bout the UK will have ever seen.
