Anthony Joshua remained calm in front of tens of thousands of fans when he was urged by Tyson Fury to confirm their long-awaited fight.
The two British heavyweights have been on parallel tracks for much of their careers, and now, with retirement fast approaching, this is the last chance to make the fight happen.
After beating Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision in his comeback bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury turned full his focus to Joshua, who had been watching the fight from ringside.
Despite hints throughout the event that the bout would be confirmed that night, ‘AJ’ instead let fans in on the truth – his side is not signed yet, though he did say he could still face ‘The Gypsy King’ next. The lack of commitment led Fury to further goad him in the post-fight press conference.
Now, Eddie Hearn has told IFL TV that a fight in the interim is the route they are pursuing, with July targeted before the Fury fight in November. Joshua’s long-term promoter also discussed some finer details that must be addressed, including the broadcast situation.
“In this situation, with this rival, [Joshua] will want everything to be absolutely perfect, and so will we. And we’ll get there, but it’s not something that’s done over a couple of days.”
“Don’t forget, they had a two-fight deal, and we’re having a two-fight deal. Whatever the deal is for each individual, so be it. We’re exclusive to DAZN. That warm-up will be on DAZN and the [Fury] fight will be on Netflix.
“There’s different dynamics to the deal, and every deal is different. We have to make sure there’s a resolution. DAZN are not just AJ’s partners, they’re our partners as well. But they will get the comeback fight in July and then there will be a deal in place to keep them satisfied that his exclusivity will sit back for one fight and we’ll have a [Fury] fight on Netflix.”
Who the former two-time unified heavyweight champion faces in the summer remains to be seen, with talk of Deontay Wilder cooling somewhat.
