Fury tries to muscle in, but told 50-50 split will not happen
Barry Hearn has warned rival boxing promoter Frank Warren that Anthony Joshua will not accept a 50-50 purse split for a prospective all-British super-fight against Tyson Fury in April next year.
Hearn, head of Joshua’s promoters Matchroom, responded furiously to an assertion from Warren in an interview with the BBC on Sunday that the pair would share the proceeds of the big-money bout.
Fury is set to face WBC champion Deontay Wilder in the US in December and it is widely assumed the winner will then open negotiations for a contest to unify the belts early next year.
Hearn, who watched Joshua dispatch Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on Saturday night, declared: “It’s not a 5050 split against the best heavyweight in the world – you can forget that completely.”
Hearn believes Wilder will beat Fury in December, which would pave the way for what would appear to be a much more straight-forward series of negotiations with the American’s camp.
And he turned his anger back on the BBC, adding: “It’s outrageous on national radio to try to agree terms to a commercial fight. You should know better, and Radio 5 should be ashamed of themselves.
“Wilder or Tyson Fury subject to terms on April 13, without a problem in the world – but you [Warren] will ask for a ridiculous amount of money and it won’t be made.”
Warren insisted if Fury does pull off an upset over Wilder, Joshua will be unable to escape the pressure to square off against his long-time domestic rival.
“I believe Tyson Fury will be the winner of that fight so why on earth would anyone want to stand in its way?” added Warren. “Everybody is sensible enough to make sure that big fights happen and I don’t believe anybody will stop that fight from happening.
“The only person who can stop that fight happening is Anthony Joshua.”
Fury himself appeared less optimistic than Warren, though, and tweeted on Sunday: “I have to say the saddest thing ever the British fight fans will never get to see Fury vs Joshua.
“That’s a crying shame! It’s the biggest British fight in history of boxing in Briton [sic] but sky & matchroom have robbed the paying public again. Ask your self why don’t they want this?”
Joshua has repeatedly stressed he wants to fight Wilder next.
“We have to fight, it would be silly not to” Joshua said of the situation.
The 28-year-old Londoner said he too had no intention of being messed about by Wilder’s camp over negotiations for the proposed match.
He added: “If Wilder’s not serious, there’s other people out there; when he’s ready, we’re ready.
“I’ve had the burden of the heavyweight division on my back for some years, because it was all about me fighting Wilder, Fury, Klitschko, Dillian [Whyte], Povetkin. That’s all they were interested in – me fighting them all.
“So I’m happy those two are fighting. April 13 is booked, so whichever heavyweight is serious, we can look at making a deal. I have no interest in who wins; I’m not fussed.”
As for what lay behind his own public appeal, Joshua added: “The appeal is losing – who is going to be the man to beat me?
“Sometimes you have to go in there and really earn your money.
“Povetkin was a tough challenger for sure, but I knew how to break him down.”
We have to fight. It would be silly not to. [But] if Wilder’s not ready, there’s other people out there ANTHONY JOSHUA