Fury vs. Joshua Is Finally Signed

It’s the fight that everyone has been desperate to see for a number of years, but it’s never quite got over the line in terms of signatures on a contract. However, all that has changed thanks to the involvement of Turki Al-Sheikh, who has managed to do separate deals with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, leading to the heavyweight bout finally being agreed upon. It’s expected that the fight will take place in London later in the year.

It’s Finally Agreed

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been on a collision course for quite a while, with both men having been heavyweight champions at various times in their decorated careers. However, while talks have progressed to the final stages on multiple occasions, it’s seemingly never been possible to get both sides to agree to the terms.

Since Turki Al-Sheikh arrived in the sport, it’s been possible to make the big fights due to how he goes about putting together deals. It’s widely known that Turki will negotiate separately with each fighter and their teams, ensuring both sides are happy and that there are no disagreements on purses or splits. This approach has led to Fury vs. Joshua being officially agreed, with the former starting as the slight favorite according to top sports betting odds.

Joshua Warm-Up Fight Was An Indication

Rumors were swirling ahead of Fury’s comeback win over Arslan Makhmudov that an agreement for the fight with Joshua was close, but at that point, Eddie Hearn, AJ’s promoter, suggested nothing was signed. He did, however, indicate that his fighter would prefer a warm-up fight ahead of the mega bout, and when that was in place, it would indicate that the Joshua vs. Fury fight was contracted, as the warm-up bout was part of the overall deal.

Joshua, 36, who last fought YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December, will take on Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh. AJ, who was scheduled to make a comeback earlier in the year, suffered injuries in a car crash in Nigeria, with two of his close friends dying in the accident. But he’s now ready to make his return to the ring, and is in camp with Oleksandr Usyk and his training team.

The Fight Will Land On Netflix

Netflix is continuing with its strategy of broadcasting huge sporting events to subscribers on their platform. It has collaborated with Turki and those associated with him previously, such as Riyadh Season and Ring Magazine, with the Saudi Arabian promoter keen to abolish pay-per-view events.

There could have been a stumbling block due to Joshua being a fighter exclusively tied to DAZN, “the global home of boxing,” but an agreement has been made, as it was previously when AJ knocked out Paul live on Netflix in December. Joshua having a warm-up fight, which will be streamed live on DAZN, is thought to have been part of the deal for him to be permitted to take on Fury on Netflix.

Conclusion

Fury vs. Joshua is a fight that many thought would never happen. Not only because of past failed negotiations, but because Fury had seemingly retired from the sport again. But after persistence from all parties, and especially Turki Al-Sheikh, the bout was agreed and officially signed. All eyes will now turn to Joshua vs. Prenga, in the hope that AJ comes through what should be a routine run out unscathed.