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The fate of the long-awaited ‘Battle of Britain’ clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury lies with Joshua, according to veteran promoter Frank Warren.
Joshua and Fury are expected to meet on November 20, with Madison Square Garden in New York emerging as a likely venue, although the fight was originally scheduled to take place in Britain.
Fury said on Friday that the fight “doesn’t look like it’s going to happen” in an angry social media post accusing Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, of wanting “more money” from Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh.
Warren said his fighter would meet Joshua anywhere.
“Does AJ (Joshua) want the fight?,” Warren said on Wednesday. “I don’t know. He had a hard fight last time.”
Joshua knocked out Kristian Prenga in two rounds in July but was twice floored himself in the opening round.
“They’re quite right when they say they signed a contract for the fight to take place in the UK,” Warren added.
“Tyson didn’t sign up for America but he just wants to get the fight on and get all the politics out the way.”
Suggestions that the bout would take place outside the UK have angered British boxing fans, with Hearn insisting the fight should be staged at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Warren pointed to two celebrated 1970s fights involving Muhammad Ali as proof of how domestic heavyweight rivalries can successfully be held abroad.
“Netflix are the broadcaster and in America they have 250 million subscribers and they’re putting up the money,” he said.
“Think of all the iconic fights of years ago – The Thrilla in Manila, involving two Americans. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had a great first fight and everyone wanted that fight – Las Vegas, New York — but it ended up in Manila because somebody put up the money for it to go there.”
He added, “Rumble in the Jungle… who didn’t want to see Ali v George Foreman? And where did it wind up? In Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) because it’s where they got their money. This is nothing unusual.”
Warren concluded as follows: “Of course it should be in Wembley, but at the end of the day they’re getting punched in the head, they’re old guys as far as boxing is concerned and they’re getting a truck load of money. So get it on.”
