ANTHONY JOSHUA vs Tyson Fury is the fight EVERY British boxing fan wants to see.
But with the two fighters having seemingly contrasting fortunes in recent weeks, the fight looks further away than ever, despite being so close earlier this summer.
Joshua vs Fury – when will it happen?
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is set to take place over two fights, with the pair verbally agreeing a deal earlier this year.
The first fight was supposed to happen in August before Deontay Wilder's team won a legal battle against Fury, securing the Bronze Bomber's right to a contracted trilogy rematch.
Both Joshua and Fury have since hinted they're prepared to re-enter negotiations for a fight in 2022, but they must first get past their next opponents.
Joshua vs Fury – where will it take place?
As stated by Hearn, the first fight is likely to take place in Saudi Arabia, with a second eyed to take place in the UK.
Anthony Joshua successfully regained his titles against Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi while Tyson Fury wowed the crowd by making a WWE appearance in the Gulf State.
There, he was victorious over Braun Strowman.
Joshua vs Fury – how much will they earn?
A lot. That's the simple answer. Both Joshua and Fury have already made upwards of £40million each for their respective fights with Ruiz Jr and Wilder.
So when they fight each other, expect the figures to be at last double that.
Hearn also spoke earlier this year about how he expects the pair to make 'Mayweather money', referencing the grand purses Floyd used to pull in for his fights.
"It’s certainly I think, you know, the biggest fight, the most lucrative fight, in boxing right now – unquestionably," Hearn said.
“That’s Mayweather money. You know? And we haven’t seen Mayweather money since Mayweather.
"I think it’s impossible to give a number. There’s no set purses for this fight because, obviously, it’s a revenue share. But it’s certainly gonna break records everywhere.”
It's been speculated, however, that the pair could earn £80m each.
Joshua vs Fury – what hurdles are left to clear?
Unfortunately for fight fans, a few.
First, Joshua has to defeat Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch, which could take place in early 2022.
After beating Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight, Fury will face either Dillian Whyte or Otto Wallin.
Should Joshua and Fury come out of their bouts victorious, talks will likely resume between the pair for a fight to take place in early 2022.
Joshua vs Fury – what channel will it be on in the UK?
This could be a tricky one.
Joshua has an exclusive deal with Sky Sports in the UK, one which expires after this fight with Usyk, and while Fury's deal with BT Sport isn't exclusive, he's closely aligned with them.
Fury, however, has fought on Sky Sports Box Office before, most notably for his world heavyweight title win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Don't be surprised if the two sides come to an agreement where both Sky and BT decide to work together on a dual-broadcast.
Streaming DAZN, however, have also entered the UK market, and they're likely to want a slice of the pie, too.
One thing holding any potential bids from DAZN, however, is that they don't offer fights on pay-per-view, like Sky and BT do.
In the U.S., the situation is also tricky.
Fury has an exclusive deal with ESPN, while Joshua's last four fights have been shown on streaming service DAZN in the U.S.
ESPN offer a pay-per-view service for their big fight nights while DAZN work on a subscription-based model, making a deal for the fight to be shown on both channels difficult.
Arum recently said: “It will be a normal pay-per-view here (in the United States). ESPN will be the distributor.”
“Obviously, the big market is the UK, where everyone is talking it will do three million homes. Sky and BT both will have it on pay-per-view."
DAZN will likely stream the fight for rest of the world territories.
Joshua vs Fury – what have they all said?
Joshua: "We were meant to have fought by now and here we are talking about it," Joshua said.
"But it will happen. I know what people are saying about boxing politics, but I'll promise before the end of my career I will have done everything in my power to fight Tyson Fury."
Fury: "Anthony Joshua's fought not one heavyweight in his prime.
"They're all former good men, back in the early 2000s, late 2000s, but not in 2020-odd. They were good men 10 years ago."
Hearn: “I think AJ, in his head, probably thinks the fight will never happen. I would like to be more hopeful and I think it will happen.
“If AJ knocks out Usyk and Fury knocks out Wilder then in four months we are talking about an even bigger fight. One could lose or look bad but I do get the feeling if they both win then the fight is huge. I am hoping it works out for the best.”
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