Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s highly anticipated heavyweight boxing clash is currently uncertain due to a significant contractual dispute regarding its venue. Although both champions agreeing to fight, disagreement over its details has created an impasse which threatens its success.
Eddie Hearn maintains that their contract requires the event to take place in Britain; however, Saudi official Turki Alalshikh and broadcast partner Netflix want the fight held instead in New York which would greatly alter financial arrangements of the event.
Relocating the fight to Madison Square Garden introduces complex international tax implications and additional promotional responsibilities that could substantially reduce Joshua’s earnings. Hearn addressed these issues during a recent press conference, accusing the Saudi organizers of attempting to lower Joshua’s payout by changing the pre-agreed location. He also revealed that negotiations have already crossed legal lines, exposing a serious rift between the parties involved.
“What they want to do is they want to pay Anthony Joshua less money, because that’s how it will work out with the difference in location,” Hearn explained. “They want him to do a load of additional stuff. And I’m not going to blow things up, which I could do so easily, but there has been breaches in Joshua’s contract already, which we’ve let slide because these guys are our partners and our friends, or were.”
Recent reports have highlighted emails exchanged between Matchroom and the Saudi organizers regarding unrelated financial matters, including payments connected to the World Series of Darts and funding for the Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy in Riyadh.
These communications also touched on Joshua’s remaining purse from his July 25, 2026 knockout victory against Kristian Prenga. Hearn suggested that these emails were leaked intentionally to portray Joshua as greedy and to shift blame onto him for delaying the fight.
“But there’s a game being played at the moment where some of you guys are being fed emails and information to try and dress things up to spin a narrative that’s just not true,” Hearn stated.
He clarified that the outstanding payment issues are separate from the official addendum concerning the possibility of hosting the fight in the United States. Hearn and his team are awaiting an official response to their latest proposal but maintain that the original signed contract remains binding. He dismissed any notion that the fight could fall through from their side.
“The reality is no one’s really acknowledging that we’ve signed the contract,” Hearn said. “People say, ‘Oh, the fight could fall through.’ It can’t fall through. It can’t, unless Sela and Saudi want to breach the contract and not stage a fight they’ve signed to stage, which wouldn’t happen either. ‘Anthony Joshua wants to walk away from the fight.’ We can’t walk away from the fight. We’ve signed a contract. So we’re in. All we need is Turki Alalshikh or Netflix to call us and say, Wembley Stadium or wherever in the UK, this is the date. We’ll have the press conference this week. It’s done.”
The ongoing delay over the venue threatens to disrupt training schedules and adds tension to the promotion. Meanwhile, another significant factor complicates matters behind the scenes.
Eddie Hearn’s Fight on Multiple Fronts: Venue Dispute and Dana White Rivalry
Hearn’s insistence on a UK venue takes place amid his escalating conflict with UFC president Dana White. White’s involvement arises through his Zuffa Boxing partnership with Turki Alalshikh and SELA, which has hinted at promotional participation in the AJ-Fury event.
Hearn reacted strongly to White’s suggestions, even threatening potential legal action to block the American promoter’s involvement.
Despite this, Hearn now acknowledges he may not be able to fully prevent White’s role, particularly if Fury chooses to enlist White as an advisor or manager, following Fury’s surprise appearance at a UFC event earlier this year.
Team Fury has voiced its displeasure with Hearn and Joshua, calling them disgusting and money-hungry. Fury accuses them of using excuses as well as “running away” from a fight if its planned meeting doesn’t materialise while suggesting alternative fight partners if needed.
With negotiations lasting nearly 10 years and both former champions nearing retirement age, fans worldwide would likely be deeply dismayed should this historic fight fall apart at such an advanced stage.