Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are expected to receive the biggest purses of their professional careers when they finally meet in their long-awaited heavyweight clash in December.
The British rivals are scheduled to face each other on Friday, December 11, at the 70,000-capacity Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the bout backed by Netflix and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh.
The fight has been years in the making, with negotiations repeatedly collapsing over issues including the venue and the proposed involvement of UFC president Dana White.
However, Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, said the financial rewards attached to the bout were too significant for the contest to fall through again.
Speaking to SunSport, Warren said the fighters would receive “huge purses”, which he described as the highest of their careers and potentially the biggest ever earned by British boxers.
“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,” Warren said.
“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.”
The promoter said negotiations over the venue had also threatened the fight, with Netflix initially pushing for Madison Square Garden in New York.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, reportedly insisted on a contract requiring the bout to be staged in the United Kingdom and without White’s involvement.
Warren subsequently helped secure the Principality Stadium as the venue, although negotiations are reportedly ongoing over a ring-walk time between 1am and 2am to accommodate viewers in the United States.
Defending the proposed late start, Warren said the financial backing behind the fight made it necessary to consider its global audience.
“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,” he said.
“They are taking the risk, and they are putting up a phenomenal amount of money.”
Warren, who has promoted Fury for much of his career, also backed the former heavyweight champion to defeat Joshua, predicting a knockout victory.
“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 punching power as qualities that could prove decisive in the contest.
“Tyson has done that time and time again,” he said.
The Fury-Joshua bout is expected to headline a busy final quarter of the boxing calendar, with Ben Whittaker scheduled to face Conor Wallace on October 3, while Daniel Dubois is set to meet Fabio Wardley in a rematch on October 17.
Canelo Alvarez is also scheduled to face Christian Mbili on October 31 ahead of the much-anticipated December showdown between Fury and Joshua.
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