February is the likely date for an Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight. That’s according to Eddie Hearn, who spent the first third of 2021 trying desperately to get the eagerly-anticipated contest on this year.
Talks between both camps occurred frequently just a few months ago and it appeared that fight was set to be confirmed for an august date in Saudi Arabia. Those plans were shelved when an independent arbiter ruled that Fury must face Deontay Wilder in a third meeting before facing anybody else.
With that bout set for October 9th following a cancellation date earlier this month, and Joshua set to take on mandatory challenger, Oleksandr Usyk, on September 25th, victory for both men should leave a clear path. Hearn believes that an encounter between the world’s leading heavyweights can take place in early 2022.
“We wanted to do it in December,” said Hearn when speaking on Talksport. “But I think with AJ fighting September 25, Fury now delayed until October, I think February is more realistic.
“They had a huge offer from Saudi Arabia to do the fight there. Ultimately in the fight game, which is extremely dangerous and these guys are putting themselves on the line, it is about generating as much money for the fight as possible.
“With fans back in the UK is that an option? Las Vegas? We’ll see. But first things first, let’s just beat Usyk, because if that doesn’t go to plan, we can forget about it.”