Promoter Eddie Hearn said the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua title-unification showdown could cost fans a $37 (£29.95) pay-per-view fee.
A superfight for $37 (£29.95)?
In the United States, that would be bargain. American fans paid close to $100 (£81) for Floyd Mayweather’s fights against Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, after all.
In the U.K.? One outlet called that pay-per-view price “huge.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn said the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua title-unification showdown, expected to take place next year if they win interim fights, dismissed rumors that the price could be as high as £50 but acknowledged that the £29.95 figure is realistic.
Big fights typically cost around £20 in the U.K. Hearn said Sky Sports sets the price.
“Do I think that’ll go over £29.95? No I don’t,” he said on iFL TV. “But again, this isn’t my decision. I don’t think Sky are looking at this fight thinking, ‘Oh yeah, that’ll give us an excuse to put the price up.’
“Is it the biggest fight ever? Yes. Biggest British fight ever? Yes. But my relationship with the costumers and the fans has to be everything, because I want the longevity, I want the respect and I want your trust, and I want to give you value.
“So I’m not here to come in like a cowboy and go £49.99, see you later, cheers, bye, with a sack of money.’ It’s got to be right, it’s got to represent the value of the product like everything has.
“Maybe Tyson Fury wants it to be £49.99. I don’t think it should be anywhere near that kind of money, and I don’t believe Sky would either.”
[lawrence-related id=10134]
Fury and Joshua have agreed to financial terms on two fights. However, Fury must beat Deontay Wilder and Joshua must do the same against Kubrat Pulev to set up the ultimate showdown. Those fights are expected to happen before the end of this year.
Mandatory title defenses also could complicate things. Fury is due to defend against Dillian Whyte by February, and Oleksandr Usyk is in line to face Joshua.
Fury’s co-promoter, Frank Warren, believes Fury and Joshua could walk away with as much as $140 million (£113 million) each for the two fights combined.
Will mandatory challenges spoil the highly anticipated Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua showdown for all four major belts?
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have reached a preliminary agreement to fight one another next year if they get past Deontay Wilder and Kubrat Pulev, respectively.
In a perfect world, Fury vs. Joshua would be for all four major heavyweight titles. However, mandatory challenges could spoil the party.
Fury could be forced to defend his title against Dillian Whyte or risk losing it. The same goes for Joshua, who might have to face No. 1 challenger Oleksandr Usyk or give up one of his three belts.
DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss that topic and possible solutions in this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora.
Reasonable list, but I wonder whether he’s trying to sell his third fight with Wilder by placing him at No. 2, ahead of Joshua.
Here’s my list:
No. 1 Fury
No. 2 Joshua
No. 3 Wilder
No. 4 Whyte
No. 5 Andy Ruiz Jr.
Here are some thoughts.
No. 1: No-brainer. Fury, coming off his knockout of Wilder in their rematch in February, is hands down the top big man today.
No. 2: Wilder can argue that he was stopped by a much better opponent (Fury) than the one who knocked out Joshua (Ruiz). True. However, Joshua bounced back to outpoint Ruiz. He also has a deeper resume than that of Wilder.
No. 3: Wilder shouldn’t be written off because of the setback against Fury, although it will be difficult to reverse that result when they meet for a third time. Otherwise, he has been dominating.
No. 4: Whyte has won 11 consecutive fights since he was stopped by Joshua in December 2015. And he has beaten some good opponents. Among them: Derek Chisora (twice), Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker and Oscar Rivas. Solid resume.
No. 5: Ruiz also shouldn’t be dismissed after his disappointing effort against Joshua in their rematch. The first fight wasn’t a fluke. Ruiz has ability and power. If he can get focused — big IF — he can have more success.
Usyk? I understand why Fury included him in his Top 5. I considered it. The former cruiserweight champ might have the best skill set among all heavyweights. The problem is that he has yet to prove he can beat an elite big man. No one will be shocked if he does, although he’d be at a size disadvantage against many heavyweights.
I also considered Luis Ortiz, a strong, skillful fighter. I couldn’t get past two brutal knockouts against Wilder in his last five fights, though.
And, finally, Kubrat Pulev has a golden opportunity to climb onto this list. All he has to do is beat Joshua whenever they fight.
The Gypsy King told us who are his actual top 5 heavyweights!
Eddie Hearn wants Deontay Wilder to be out of the picture when his fighter, Anthony Joshua, negotiates to fight Tyson Fury.
Eddie Hearn wants Deontay Wilder completely out of the picture when he sits down for negotiations for a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Wilder was rumored to have been offered $10 million to step aside as Fury’s next opponent so “The Gypsy King” could go directly into an all-British showdown with Joshua, assuming Kubrat Pulev, Joshua’s scheduled opponent, also agreed to a deal.
That notion was dismissed by Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter. The step-aside offer is fiction, he said. And Hearn wouldn’t want it anyway. Presumably, had Wilder agreed to step aside, he would’ve demanded the right to face the winner of Fury-Joshua.
Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has a two-fight series between Fury and his client in mind.
“I think Bob Arum said in an interview … he doesn’t know where this number [of $10 million] has come from,” Hearn told IFL TV. “[Wilder has] said in interviews he won’t step aside. And with everything happening in terms of the uncertainty over the future of the world, let alone boxing, he’s not going to want to step aside.
“We also don’t want to enter into a deal where we say, ‘Oh, when we beat Tyson Fury, we have to face Deontay Wilder and he has to get 40%.’ Deontay Wilder is out. He’s done. He’s just a voluntary challenger. We want a clean slate when we enter into a deal, whether it’s a one-fight deal with Tyson or a two-fight deal. But when AJ beats Tyson Fury, we don’t want an obligation to fight Deontay Wilder. What’s he got to do with it?
“He’s done. He’s beaten. He’s just been knocked out. If he beats Tyson Fury, then we want to fight Deontay Wilder. But if he doesn’t, he’s just back into the rankings. He’s not coming into a fight with the undisputed champion. So in that respect it’s a lot easier for us just to have a clean slate, and everybody is on the same page with that as well.”
Fury knocked out Wilder in seven rounds in February, after which Wilder exercised a clause in their contract that allowed for a third fight between them. They are expected to meet again before the end of the year, as are Joshua and Pulev.
Larry Holmes was fortunate to emerge with his perfect record intact. Tim Witherspoon, some believe, was robbed. The fans were the big winners. The fight in question is the Hall of Famer’s 15 th defense of his heavyweight title on this date – May 20 …
Larry Holmes was fortunate to emerge with his perfect record intact. Tim Witherspoon, some believe, was robbed. The fans were the big winners.
The fight in question is the Hall of Famer’s 15th defense of his heavyweight title on this date – May 20 – in 1983 at the Dunes Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Holmes (42-0, 30 KOs) had jabbed his way through the division in the 1980s with relatively little resistance, as he became recognized as one of the best big men in history. This fight was different, although few saw it coming.
Witherspoon, 25, was ranked No. 3 by the WBC going into the fight but he wasn’t a well-known entity. He was a late starter, launching his pro career only three years earlier, and reportedly had only six amateur fights. He was only 15-0 (11 KOs) in the paid ranks.
In spite of all that, as Holmes and the fans would learn, Witherspoon was a good boxer when standards arguably were higher than today and he had punching power.
Thus, a fight that most figured would be another walkover for Holmes turned into a give-and-take battle that ended in a controversial split decision.
Holmes did well in the first half of the fight, although the early rounds were competitive. Beginning in the seventh, Witherspoon asserted himself by picking up the pace and had success. Then came an epic Round 9, in which Witherspoon hurt Holmes twice, sending him into survival mode the rest of the round. Holmes survived but it was a struggle.
Witherspoon, evidently believing he was ahead on the cards, took his foot off the gas in the final few rounds – while Holmes picked up his work rate – and it might’ve cost him the biggest victory in his career. One judge scored it for Witherspoon (115-114), the other two gave Holmes the nod (118-111 and 115-113). Few believe Chuck Hassett’s 118-111 score reflected what happened in the ring.
Afterward, Witherspoon showed little respect for Holmes.
“I was unknown and that was just politics,” Witherspoon told The Ring. “I had no problem dealing with Larry’s style, and if you watch the fight, at the end of the first round, I waved my hand to show him that I wasn’t impressed. He had nothing I hadn’t seen before, and I knew he couldn’t do anything with me.”
Meanwhile, Holmes served up a number reasons for what might be described as a sub-par performance. He said he over-trained, which might account for his relatively low weight of 213 pounds. And he claims he suffered from diarrhea the morning of the fight.
In the end, though, he acknowledged that it was a difficult fight but was satisfied to have his hand raised.
“I’m not ashamed of my fight,” Holmes told Sports Illustrated. “I’m 43 and 0, with 15 title defenses, and I’m the champion of the world. Now maybe that’s enough. I don’t know. I’m going to go home and think about it. I’ve been thinking about retiring for a long time. Now I’ll think about it some more. I’ll let you know.”
Retirement? Holmes’ last fight took place in 2002, 19 years later. Meanwhile, Witherspoon would become a two-time titleholder – outpointing Greg Page and Tony Tubbs to win his belts – before he finished up his career in 2003. But a victory over a then-unbeaten Holmes, which was within his grasp, would’ve changed the way he’s perceived today.
Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury says he’s motivated to stay in boxing because it’s good for his mental health.
Tyson Fury said he doesn’t fight for glory or shiny title belts any longer. He’s already a two-time heavyweight champion and the most-accomplished active big man in boxing. And he doesn’t fight for money. He has plenty of that.
The reason he plans to stick around for a while? Peace of mind.
The 31-year-old from Manchester, who has struggled with depression, told Sky Sports that boxing keeps his head on straight.
“I’ve achieved more than any active heavyweight alive today,” he said. “No-one can come close to what I’ve achieved. I’m happy with where I am in my career and what I’m doing. If I never have another boxing fight, I’ll be happy. I’ve completed the game.
“I’ve won every single belt in boxing. From the English title to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world. All done, all finished. Considered the best, done. If I don’t box again, I’m happy, but if I do box again, then I continue to box.
“If we get past this thing (coronavirus), which hopefully we will, then we’re going to keep boxing and just keep taking on contenders. Klitschko did it until he was 40. A lot of the great champions are continuing and continuing.
“I ain’t boxing for money, I ain’t boxing for fame, I ain’t boxing for a belt. I’m boxing because it keeps me mentally happy and I like to do it. Nothing to prove to anybody. Not one thing to prove at all, but I box now, because I love boxing and I’ve been doing it all my life.
“Why walk away when I’m still only young? Hopefully I box until I have a good sit down with all the team and we all decide it’s time to walk away, while I’m on top, and then sail away into the sunset. And then who knows what will happen after that.”
Tyson Fury’s knockout of Deontay Wilder (left) in February made him the top big man in the world. John Gurzinski / AFP via Getty Images
What does the immediate future hold?
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) is coming off a sensational seventh-round knockout in his rematch with Deontay Wilder, which earned him a heavyweight title. Wilder, who drew with Fury in their first fight, exercised a clause in their contract which allowed for a third fight. They’re expected to meet again before the end of the year.
After that, the only opponent who makes sense is Anthony Joshua, who holds the three other major belts. That’s assuming Joshua beats mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in his next fight. Fury and Joshua could fill up any stadium in what would be an enormous event in the U.K. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, believes they’ll do it at least twice.
And in spite of Fury’s success, which includes a one-sided decision that ended Wladimir Klitschko’s long reign in 2015, he won’t be surprised if more doubters emerge along the way.
“They said I’d never do it, they said I would never have the dedication,” said Fury. “Then they wrote me off because I wasn’t body beautiful like everybody else. Then they wrote me off because the heavyweight champion of the world was Wladimir Klitschko. I had to go to Germany. That was a write-off. And then they wrote me off because I went to 28 stone (392 pounds) and had mental health problems, but that couldn’t keep me down.
“Then they wrote me off because I had to fight the biggest puncher in the history of boxing after only two, petty comeback fights, but that didn’t keep me down.
“Then they wrote me off, because I’m all washed up and I can’t take a punch anymore. And then they wrote me off because I got a massive cut [in a victory over Otto Wallin]. Then they wrote me off because I had 10 changes of trainers.
“Then they wrote me off because Wilder was going to be better the second time around. And then they wrote me off because they said they didn’t believe in what I was going to do, and I’m a feather-duster puncher, and I can’t crack an egg, and I’m useless.
“But here I am today, stand-alone heavyweight, leading superstar in boxing. I’m still fat, still ugly, still bald, still a big man, and I’m still unstoppable.”
Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury expects to fight Deontay Wilder a third time and Anthony Joshua twice in his next three fights.
Tyson Fury seems to have a schedule in place through next year.
The heavyweight champ said on Instagram Live that he will fight Deontay Wilder a third time next and then have two fights with fellow titleholder Anthony Joshua, which should take him into 2022.
The date of the Wilder fight, originally targeted for July 18, remains uncertain because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve got the rematch with Wilder on at some point … then we’ve got the two AJ fights,” Fury said. “Well, one, and then obviously when I batter him, he’ll want a rematch.”
The handlers of Fury and Joshua reportedly have discussed the possibility of paying Wilder and Kubrat Pulev, Joshua’s scheduled opponent, to step aside so Fury and Joshua can go directly into their all-British showdown but neither Wilder nor Pulev is willing to cooperate.
Fury said he wants the third fight with Wilder anyway.
“I’ll beat him in the ring, and that’s how I’ll get him out the way,” Fury said. “I wouldn’t pay him $2 million to step aside. I’d rather give him another battering again. I’m going to take him out again for a third time, hopefully end of the year, and then we’re going to go into 2021 for the biggest fight in boxing history between two undefeated British heavyweights – me and AJ.”
Joshua isn’t undefeated – he was stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. before winning a rematch last year – but everyone knows the magnitude of a Fury-Joshua matchup or two.
“It would probably be a two-fight deal,” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports. “Any deal between Fury and AJ, you run it twice.”
And assuming Fury gets past Wilder and two fights with Joshua?
“There’s plenty of fighters out there for me to beat up on,” Fury said. “You got Dillian Whyte, Jarrell Miller, you got Pulev, you got Ruiz, you got [Luis] Ortiz, you got [Daniel] Dubois, you got [Joe] Joyce. There’s loads.”
Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev have about three weeks to select a site for their title fight, according to Pulev’s manager.
Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev have about three weeks to figure out where they’re going to hold their world title fight, according to Pulev’s manager, Ivaylo Gotzev.
The two were originally set to square off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20, but the fight was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to the two fighters discussing alternative options.
“Eddie [Hearn] has spoken to you about the Middle East, which is a great possibility,” Gotzev told Sky Sports. “It makes sense, because those countries were not as hard affected, and if you take the right precautions, we could really have a safe environment.
“That’s something I want to emphasize, and I can’t say it enough times — safety first. We don’t want to take a risk against anyone’s health, no way, no how.”
Outside the Middle East, one of the venues that has been discussed is the Pula Arena, a Roman amphitheater on the coast of Croatia with a capacity of 5,000. The venue is popular for concerts.
“Croatia is one of the countries that was not hit very hard, as we know, and also with proper measurements, that could be the case where we’re not exposing everybody,” Gotzev said. “An open-air stadium where you could spread out the crowd a little bit makes perfect sense.”
That being said, Hearn still thinks the fight would ideally take place in Britain because Joshua is British and has been vocal about wanting to fight in front of his home nation after regaining his titles in a rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia back in December.
“At the moment our preference is to stage the event in the U.K., but we will keep our options open in terms of alternative venues if U.K. is not an option,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
Gotzev said that Pulev is all for having the fight in the U.K. and doesn’t mind giving Joshua home-field advantage.
“It was Joshua’s demand, ‘I want to go back home.’ OK Joshua, you’re the champ, we respect that, we’re coming to the U.K. Kubrat is coming there to kick your ass, in front of your crowd. No problem,” Gotzev said.
“They are fighters. It’s one against the other. At the end of the day, the public can jump, scream and shout, but it’s mano e mano in the ring, we’ve worked out that. To us, it didn’t matter that the fight is taking place in the U.K.”
Here are five fights that helped define heavyweight king Tyson Fury.
Tyson Fury’s most formidable opponents have been his own demons. In the ring? The Gypsy King has been almost untouchable.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) battled for years to earn a shot at longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko’s titles, beating solid opponents such as Derek Chisora (twice), Kevin Johnson, Steve Cunningham and Christian Hammer along the way.
When he finally stepped into the ring with Klitschko, he shocked the Ukrainian and the world by winning a wide decision to become the lineal heavyweight champ.
Fury struggled with a number of issues after that but rallied to make history again earlier this this year.
Here are five fights that helped define him:
DEREK CHISORA I
Date / site: July 23, 2011 / Wembley Arena, London Division: Heavyweight Records: Fury 14-0; Chisora 14-0 At stake: Chisora’s Commonwealth and British titles Result: UD (118-111, 117-112, 117-112) Background: Chisora was closer than Fury to a shot at Wladimir Klitschko’s heavyweight title at this point of their careers, as two proposed fights between the Londoner and the Ukrainian had fallen through the previous eight months. And Chisora was a slight favorite over Fury, meaning it was still unclear how Fury might do against a top contender. Things started fairly well for Chisora, who staggered Fury in the second round and stunned him one or two more times in the next few rounds. However, in the end, this was a coming out for Fury. The 6-foot-9 Mancunian, obviously well conditioned, boxed circles around Chisora and threw punches at a far greater rate than his overweight foe to win a wide decision and move up the ladder toward a shot at a world title. He had broken through. “This is a dream come true and it means the world to me,” Fury said. The two would meet again three years later.
***
DEREK CHISORA II
Date / site: Nov. 29, 2014 / ExCel London Division: Heavyweight Records: Fury 22-0; Chisora 20-4 At stake: Chisora’s European and vacant British titles Result: UD (119-108, 119-110, 119-108) Background: Fury had already proved that he was better than Chisora in 2011 but trash talk in the build up to the fight – as well as the perception that Chisora remained a threat – made their rematch compelling, at least until they stepped into the ring. Chisora had won five consecutive fights since losing three in a row to Robert Helenius, Vitali Klitschko and David Haye but, once again, he was no match for Fury. The bigger man surprised everyone by fighting from a southpaw stance from the second round on, boxed beautifully behind his long jab and just never let Chisora get anything going. Hence the near-shutout decision in Fury’s favor. “Which other heavyweight in the world can box southpaw against a world-class fighter like Dereck, a fighter who will give any other heavyweight a tough fight?” Fury said. “I’m very proud of my performance.” A long awaited shot at Wladimir Klitschko’s titles was near.
***
WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO
Date / site: Nov. 28, 2015 / Espirit Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany Division: Heavyweight Records: Fury 24-0; Klitschko 64-3 At stake: Klitschko’s three world titles Result: UD (115-112, 116-111, 115-112) Background: Klitschko was in the midst of one of the great championship runs in history when he met Fury. The Ukrainian made 18 successful defenses in the second of his two heavyweight reigns, second only to Joe Louis’ 23. And he was champion for more than nine years, again second only to Louis’ 11-plus. He hadn’t lost since Lamon Brewster stopped him in 2004. And Klitschko was around a 4-1 favorite, which are wide odds in boxing. All of that is why it was difficult to imagine Klitschko losing, even at 39 years old. And it’s why it was stunning to watch as the fight unfolded. The skillful, fleet and long Fury outboxed the champion from the beginning, using feints and movement to baffle the smaller man and consistently beat him to the punch. It wasn’t exciting to watch but it was brilliant. Fury, 27, was heavyweight champion. “This is a dream come true. We worked so hard for this. I’ve done it.” The joy wouldn’t last long.
***
DEONTAY WILDER I
Date / site: Dec. 1, 2018 / Staples Center, Los Angeles Division: Heavyweight Records: Fury 27-0; Wilder 40-0 At stake: Wilder’s world title Result: SD Draw (113-113, 115-111, 112-114) Background: Fury didn’t fight for 2½ years after his victory over Klitschko as he battled his formidable personal demons, including depression. He twice pulled out of a rematch with Klitschko, tested positive for a banned substance, was later suspended and gave up his belts as he worked to get his life together. Plus, he had ballooned to more than 350 pounds. It wasn’t clear whether he’d ever fight again. Then, in one of the sport’s more remarkable comebacks, he learned to cope with his problems, got back into the gym, shed most of the excess weight and got back to fighting. He won two tune-up fights in 2018 and then agreed to meet Wilder, who had 39 KOs in his 40 fights. Did Fury still have it? Indeed he did. He outboxed a limited boxer and would’ve won had he not gone down in Rounds 9 and 12. He proved two things, though. He was back. And he was more resilient than anyone realized. The fact he got up from the second knockdown was remarkable. And he was just getting started.
***
DEONTAY WILDER II
Date / site: Feb. 22, 2020 / MGM Grand, Las Vegas Division: Heavyweight Records: Fury 29-0-1; Wilder 42-0-1 At stake: Wilder’s world title Result: TKO 7 Background: Fury, disgusted with what he believed was a robbery in the first fight, was determined to prove something of which he was certain: He was the better man. He parted ways with trainer Ben Davison and hired SugarHill Steward, a disciple of uncle Emanuel Steward who Fury believed would help him fight effectively in a more aggression fashion. Fury gained weight (273 pounds at the weigh-in) and a puncher’s mentality. He even suggested he’d stop Wilder. And then he did it. Fury was in his nemesis’ face from the opening bell, never allowing Wilder the time or distance to unload his vaunted right hand. Wilder went down from a right in Round 3. He hit the canvas again from a body shot in Round 5. And, badly beaten, a barrage of unanswered punches with Wilder’s back against the ropes prompted the referee to stop the fight at 1:39 of Round 7. Fury had made it all the way back. He was the heavyweight king.
In this episdoe of The Ak & Barak Show, the hosts discuss whether Deontay Wilder should step aside so Tyson Fury can fight Anthony Joshua.
Deontay Wilder exercised his contractual right to fight Tyson Fury a third time after his loss to the Englishman and intends to go through with it.
However, reports have surfaced indicating that the handlers of Fury and Anthony Joshua have been discussing the possibility of going directly into an all-British title-unification showdown.
That would mean that Wilder (as well as Joshua’s scheduled opponent, Kubrat Pulev) would have to accept a fee to step aside.
Should Wilder agree to do that?
In this episdoe of The Ak & Barak Show, courtesty of DAZN, hosts Akin “Ak” Reyes and Barak Bess give their takes on that topic.
The Ak & Barak Show is available on DAZN and Sirius XM Fight Nation, Channel 156.
