Tyson Fury’s first unification bout with Anthony Joshua could take place in the UK and NOT Saudi Arabia, claims promoter Bob Arum, with a winter clash in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium or a spring Wembley showdown on the cards
- Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s August 14 unification bout was postponed
- The Gypsy King was ordered to take on Deontay Wilder in a July 24 trilogy fight
- The Battle of the Brits could take place in Cardiff or London, says Bob Arum
- The August clash between Fury and Joshua was originally set for Saudi Arabia
Tyson Fury’s first fight with Anthony Joshua could be staged in the UK and not Saudi Arabia, according to the Gypsy King’s promoter Bob Arum.
The all-British unification bout to bring all five heavyweight belts together was originally set for August 14 in the Middle East, but an arbitrator ordered Fury to take on Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight which will take place on July 24.
Fury and Joshua’s teams will discuss another fight deal if both of them can come through their 2021 challenges, with Arum claiming a winter clash in Cardiff‘s Principality Stadium in the winter or London‘s Wembley Stadium in the spring are options.
Tyson Fury’s (right) fight with Anthony Joshua could take place in the UK, says Bob Arum (left)
Fury’s August fight with Joshua (left) was first scheduled in Saudi Arabia before it collapsed
Arum told Sky Sports: ‘There’s a big argument that by that time (of discussing the Fury-Joshua fight), the pandemic is behind us, we wait until the spring and we do it in Wembley, or one of the big arenas.
‘If we wanted to do it in winter, we can do it in Cardiff, because (of the) 70,000 seats, indoor arena, or it can go to Saudi Arabia.’
With Fury now set for another fight with Wilder, Joshua is preparing to take on Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk with the clash taking place on September 25 at an undetermined venue.
Fury (left) was told to have a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder (right) which postponed the bout
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is currently the favourite the host the heavyweight showdown in the autumn.
Should both Joshua and Fury win their respective bouts then the unification bout to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world will be revisited.
Despite a long series of negotiations that frustrated both fighters by the time the fight collapsed, Arum maintains the fight can be revived very easily.
Arum claims there are no difficulties in rearranging the Fury-Joshua bout for this or next year
When asked if there are any hitches in the Fury-Joshua fight deal, Arum claimed: ‘The answer is none. There were no break downs between the Fury side and the Joshua side. None.
‘The fight couldn’t be finalised for Saudi Arabia and then the arbitrator in the Wilder situation felt that he could, if he decided the case for Wilder, enjoin Fury from fighting anybody else other than Wilder.
‘But if the contract had been signed, he never would have done it. He might have given Wilder some damages, but he would not have stopped the fight.’