Fury Starts Training Again as Joshua Fight Faces Uncertainty

Tyson Fury has started training in Miami. Doubts are growing about his fight with Anthony Joshua. Promoters say the fight is still planned, but they have not settled the venue, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, said the former heavyweight champion is preparing for his return to the ring. But there is no final agreement on where the fight will happen.

Warren is hopeful that Turki Alalshikh will soon reveal the final details. He believes the issues between Matchroom and Joshua’s team will be sorted out.

Wembley was the first choice for the fight. But now, there is tension about holding it in the US. Commercial interests and a larger television audience are pushing organizers to consider American venues.

Warren mentioned the famous 1974 fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire. He said this shows that big fights do not always happen in the fighters’ home countries.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn called this week a “crunch week” for negotiations. Both fighters have signed contracts to fight, but Joshua’s deal says the match must happen in the UK.

Netflix and Saudi financier Alalshikh want the fight in America to take advantage of prime-time viewership there. Hearn accused the Saudi organizers of trying to break Joshua’s agreement by moving the fight to Madison Square Garden in New York.

“We’re running out of time. Well, we’re not running out of time because we’re ready,” Hearn said.

“AJ’s already in a big part of his recovery from the last fight, and he’s ready to go back into camp. But there’s a lot of stuff that’s being asked for us to do beyond the contract in terms of the media obligations. So we can’t start disrupting camp too much, and I think this week’s really the crunch week.”

Hearn said he has sent contract changes, including a bigger purse for Joshua to cover the US tax issues. He mentioned they would agree to an American fight if their terms are met. But he also warned that the fight could be pushed to December, which both he and Joshua want to avoid. Joshua is ready to start training again after a short break.

Joshua, 36, defeated unbeaten Albanian Kristian Prenga in July after getting knocked down twice. This was a day after Fury, 38, won a routine seven-round fight against 46-year-old Polish opponent Mariusz Wach. Both former champions are on similar timelines as their teams continue discussions. The date of Friday, November 20, at Madison Square Garden is still the target.