The key questions as the ongoing Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua negotiations ramp up; Joshua has agreed to the terms WBC champion Fury set; December 3 is the proposed date for the all-British heavyweight battle
Thursday 15 September 2022 15:32, UK
After all these years, after all the ups and the downs, could British heavyweight rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua actually be about to fight?
Tyson Fury called out Anthony Joshua for a heavyweight "battle of Britain". And Joshua didn't say no. In fact, he said he'd be ready in December.
Representatives from both sides have not only begun negotiations but those talks are progressing. Joshua's management company has publicly said they accept Fury's terms. Frank Warren, Fury's UK promoter, has stated that they will be sending over a contract imminently.
The honest answer is - we don't know yet. In boxing, it's never a done deal until the deal is finally done, and even then fights can fall through for a myriad of reasons when proud fighters and ferocious business rivals are involved.
It's hard to be optimistic when we have been down this road before. Negotiations to make Fury vs Joshua were held to make an undisputed title fight when they held all four of the major belts between them and, just as it seemed everything was about to fall into place, that deal ultimately collapsed.
It could be. The fact that both sides are working constructively is significant. Top Rank, Fury's US promoter has told Sky Sports as negotiations progress "Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua both want the fight, and all parties are working diligently to make it a reality". That is a positive sign.
Often points of disagreement can be the financial settlement, as well as the date and the venue for a bout, who will be billed as the A-side and the B-side and so on and so forth (before they even get on to the size of the ring, the gloves - in a prizefight so much can be up for negotiation). But Fury, the WBC champion, has publicly declared he's offered Joshua a 60-40 purse split and there don't appear to be any complaints from team AJ on that score. That then is another potential obstacle skittled out the way.
Not finalised but Fury gave Joshua a choice of two, one at the end of November and one at the start of December. Joshua's team went for December 3.
For it to take place in the UK, as widely expected, at that time of year it would in all likelihood have to go to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff which has a retractable roof.
There is then broad agreement on these key points. It's especially helpful too that where Joshua was previously unranked by the WBC, they have brought him into their world ratings at No 6. With Fury having already met his mandatory commitment, against Dillian Whyte in April, he has plenty of time now to make a voluntary defence against Joshua. The WBC have confirmed to Sky Sports that Joshua is now eligible to challenge for their title.
The next hurdle is a familiar one in boxing. What makes the biggest paydays possible and, on notable occasions, can prevent the biggest fights from happening - television. Or more specifically the boxers being aligned to different networks.
That is the case here. Both Joshua and Fury have commitments to different broadcasters in the UK and in America.
But it's not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle. They could reach a settlement on the television rights or perhaps elect to do a joint pay-per-view broadcast. It's a big enough to generate the revenue to make that workable. Reaching agreement on this point could be the breakthrough when it comes to making this fight.
Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk is the unified WBO, WBA and IBF champion and has beaten Anthony Joshua twice, most recently in their August rematch. He wants to fight Tyson Fury in an undisputed championship clash. That's a fight Fury wants too but when Usyk revealed he wouldn't be ready to box again until next year, Fury switched his focus to Joshua for a bout before the end of 2022.
Usyk still could make a special guest appearance in this particular saga. He's offered to come to the UK to help Joshua with his training. AJ might even take him up on it.
Whatever happens, in 2023 Usyk will be gunning for that WBC belt.
That is a whole other question. Losing his titles has freed Joshua of any mandatory commitments himself and so in that sense, the defeat paved the way for him to fight Fury next. But in terms of performance, it's a much thornier issue. Joshua hasn't won a bout since stopping Kubrat Pulev in 2020. He did improve between his first fight with Usyk and the second. In August Joshua seemed to rediscover his style, working with greater intensity and aggression in the early going of the rematch with Usyk.
But Joshua's emotional reaction to his second loss to Usyk was a sign of uncertainty. If he is to make further changes to his camp, if he is to reset himself mentally and regain confidence, there's very little time left to do that before December 3.
However, if he feels this might be his only chance to get the Tyson Fury fight, if the opportunity of a second chance at becoming a three-time champion is too irresistible, then Joshua might be prepared to take the risk and fight Fury now against the odds.
