Top boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn says the long-awaited showdown between British rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua must take place in the UK under the terms of the fight deal signed three months ago.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh reportedly wants to stage the fight, expected to take place in October or November, at a time that would attract the largest global audience.
However, were the fight to take place at Wembley Stadium, any plans to stage the bout with a 2:00 am (0200 GMT) start would require an exemption to the London venue’s curfew restrictions.
There is now talk the fight could take place at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but Hearn insists Joshua signed up for a UK fight only and the contract would have to be renegotiated to move elsewhere.
“There’s a reason we put contracts together. We insisted that this fight was in the UK. I know that AJ will sometimes want to be a little bit of a peacekeeper, but the reality is he said to me, ‘I want the fight in the UK. This is a British fight’. I can’t agree more.
“Turki Alalshikh is our partner and has been an unbelievable supporter of Anthony Joshua… We would have conversations, but the only way the fight doesn’t take place in England is if Anthony Joshua and myself agree to it because we have a legally binding contract that took a long, long time to negotiate. Let’s be honest, this is a fight for the British public.”
Hearn’s comments came after Joshua’s second-round stoppage of Kristian Prenga in Jeddah on Saturday kept him on course for a Fury showdown, little more than 24 hours after the former world heavyweight champion stopped Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
Joshua insisted Wembley, a 90,000-capacity stadium in north London best known as the headquarters of English football, was the only choice for his fight with Fury.
“When these conversations started, there was no other venue or location that was ever mentioned. It was simple. This is the road map. You fight, come back, fight, and then providing you’re victorious, you’ll be fighting Tyson Fury in the UK, basically Wembley.
“I wouldn’t expect it to be at Tottenham or the Principality Stadium, respectfully. It’s just got that history when you think of Wembley.”