Mega fight is ON as Joshua agrees to 60-40 split
Boxing’s megabucks blockbuster between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, which looked to be disappearing into an uncertain future, now seems set fair for as early as December.
Joshua has accepted Fury’s terms for a pre-Christmas showdown that the public has wanted for so long but which seemed in danger of never happening.
A 60-40 purse split in favour of Fury as the WBC world heavyweight champion had already been agreed and now Joshua has compromised on a December 3 date for one of the biggest battles in UK boxing history.
The deadly duo are set to meet at last under the retractable roof of Cardiff’s Principality stadium.
Fury had suspended negotiations out of respect for global mourning following the death of the Queen, but Joshua has promoted further discussion by instructing his own management company, 258, to close the deal.
‘258 and Matchroom Boxing can confirm, on behalf of Anthony Joshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday,’ 258 tweeted yesterday. ‘Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response.’ nothing unseemly in that. Everything consistent with retrieving this fight from the waste bin of opportunity lost. When Joshua was defeated by oleksandr Usyk in their rematch last month, the Battle of Britain with Fury receded into doubt. But when Usyk begged for time out with his family and front-line comrades in Ukraine’s war with Russia before his inevitable fight with Fury for the undisputed world heavyweight title, the door came ajar. Fury kicked it open as he saw the chance to double his money — think a hundred million spondoolicks or more — by fitting in this fight against Joshua before it became virtually irrelevant. so he threw down the gauntlet which AJ picked up by going straight back into training. The winner takes all by proceeding to fight Usyk in the spring. The scene is set with Fury coming out of momentary retirement and Joshua being spared the drudgery of smaller-hall fights in order to rebuild his career.
And there is relief all round as the fans get to see Fury v Joshua before that joins the legion of must-fights which never happened.
Mark the date which, out of fighter’s pride, neither can afford to be seen as ducking. Joshua wanted December 17, while Fury saw late november as a date that would give him time to prepare for Usyk. so December 3 it is.