Fury, Joshua Fight Will Deliver Huge Purses – Warren

Promoter Frank Warren has revealed that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will earn the biggest purses of their careers when they finally settle their decade-long rivalry on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The bout, backed by Netflix and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh, follows years of failed negotiations and false starts, with disagreements over the venue and the involvement of UFC boss Dana White threatening to derail the fight again.

Warren, who has been a boxing promoter for nearly five decades, told media that the financial rewards eventually helped push the deal over the line.

“We nearly did it a couple of times, and it just did not happen for various reasons. This time round, I thought we had done it, then with some of the personalities and what was going on with them, I had a couple of hesitations about whether it would happen.

“But when you look at the money these fellows are getting paid, it is phenomenal money. If they did not do it, they would be crazy. It is huge, huge purses. Massive money. The highest of their careers, I should think the highest of any British fighter’s career, ever,” Warren said.

Netflix had initially pushed for the fight to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York with White involved. However, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, reportedly insisted on a legally binding agreement requiring the bout to be staged in the United Kingdom without White’s involvement.

Warren subsequently helped secure Principality Stadium, which has a capacity of about 70,000. A late ring-walk time, reportedly between 1am and 2am, is being considered to accommodate a prime-time audience in the United States.

“Look at the World Cup just gone. Some of those matches, what time were they on at night from America? We are a global village now, so you have got to try and hopefully accommodate everybody.

“I know it is going to upset a lot of people, but the only reason this fight is on is because somebody has put up the money for it, and the person who has put the money up for it deserves to get something from it.

“They are taking the risk, and they are putting up a phenomenal amount of money,” he said.

Warren, who has promoted Fury for much of his career, also backed the former heavyweight champion to defeat Joshua, predicting a knockout.

“I think he will knock him out. Styles make fights. They are older fighters, I think Tyson has worn better than AJ,” he said.

Warren pointed to Fury’s resilience and finishing ability, referencing his previous fights with Daniel Dubois and other heavyweight greats.

“All Tyson has got to do is watch the fight he had with Daniel Dubois. I said when I made the Dubois fight that he would knock him out, and he nearly knocked him out in the first round with a jab.

“He is a good finisher, Tyson, he is strong. What Tyson has got is a great chin. You get caught, you go down. All the fighters through history, the Muhammad Alis, the Fraziers, the Foremans, they have all been on the floor. The good ones get up, who can take the shots, they get up and do it. Tyson has done that time and time again,” Warren said.

The Fury-Joshua fight is part of a busy boxing schedule towards the end of the year, with Ben Whittaker facing Conor Wallace on October 3, Daniel Dubois meeting Fabio Wardley in a rematch on October 17, and Canelo Alvarez taking on Christian Mbili on October 31.