Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed up for the fight of the century in a deal which will unify the world heavyweight titles and crown an undisputed champion, Britain's first in the four belt era.
The two-fight deal - dubbed the 'Battle of Britain' - is scheduled for August 14 and was described by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn as a "done deal" although it is yet to be officially confirmed by both sides.
With that said, we are getting ever closer to having our first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 and the first-ever four-title undisputed champion.
Tyson 'Gypsy King' Fury emphatically stopped hard-hitting Deontay Wilder - also known as the 'Bronze Bomber' - back in February 2020 to claim the WBC and Ring Magazine titles.
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His famous win over Wilder last year sets up the super-fight with AJ who stopped Kubrat Pulev in December last year to defend his WBO, WBA and IBF titles.
Fans around the world and the Gypsy King himself called for the unification bout to crown the best heavyweight boxer on the planet.
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And with the fight on the horizon, AJ's promoter Hearn insists the focus is now on building a brand new venue to stage this historic fight.
"They want to build a new stadium," Hearn told Sky Sports about the hosts in Saudi Arabia.
"They have the opportunity to hold it indoors but they want to create something that will shock the world.
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"They want to create something very, very special. Last time they built a stadium for the Andy Ruiz Jr fight in just seven weeks and it held 18,000."
As the official confirmation creeps closer, Hearn concluded: "Anthony Joshua will go to war with Tyson Fury.
He has plans to absolutely demolish him - that's what I believe he will do."
Here, SPORTbible takes a look at what should be a thrilling fight and everything we know about it so far.
When is Joshua vs Fury?
The fight is scheduled August 14 and was described by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn as a "done deal".
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However, it is yet to be confirmed.
All the talk from both camps has been aiming at a date in late July or early August with the rematch then coming around mid-December.
It is understood that on Sunday, April 11, Joshua and Fury were presented with the site deal offers for their fight.
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Both camps will evaluate and hopefully agree on a destination and date so an official announcement can finally happen soon.
How can I stream Joshua vs Fury?
With both fighters signed to different networks, the TV broadcast is the biggest remaining negotiation point after the venue.
Their current broadcast situation is as follows:
- Fury reportedly has a first and last match deal with BT Sport Boxing - with all of his fights since that 2018 comeback having aired on the network.
- Joshua has an exclusive deal with Sky Sports - with this his rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019 netting a domestic record of 1.6m buys at £24.95 a time.
Where is Joshua vs Fury happening?
British fans would clearly love the bout to be held in the UK at Wembley Stadium.
But money will be a determining factor in the superstar showdown, with Fury's promoter Frank Warren conceding to talkSPORT that the UK will likely miss out on hosting the historic bout.
Meanwhile, AJ's promoter Eddie Hearn previously named Singapore, Dubai, Qatar, America and China and possible options, though Saudi Arabia is the favourite to host it.
The ongoing issues surrounding the COVID-19 lockdown will also play a pivotal part in where the fight could take place.
Anthony Joshua record and bio
- Nationality: British
- Born: 15/10/1989
- Height: 6' 6"
- Reach: 82 inches
- Total fights: 25
- Record: 24-1 (22 knockouts)
Tyson Fury record and bio
- Nationality: British
- Born: 12/08/1988
- Height: 6' 9"
- Reach: 85 inches
- Total fights: 31
- Record: 30-1-0 (21 knockouts)
Will there be an undercard?
No other additional bouts have been announced for the fight card as of yet.
Joshua vs Fury predictions and betting odds
Boxing icon Wladimir Klitschko, who was famously knocked out by AJ back in 2017 at Wembley Stadium, has boldly claimed that AJ will unify all of the belts - beating Fury in the process.
"Joshua is a superior athlete, great fighter, Olympic champion," he said.
"Most importantly, he's a great guy, who carries the torch of this image of a heavyweight champion perfectly and I'm proud to call him as a friend, even though we were rivals.
"I think and I wish that, eventually, Joshua is going to unify all of the belts - that's the eventual plan."
Meanwhile, another boxing heavyweight great, Mike Tyson, believes Tyson Fury packs all the right punches and is backing him for the win.
"It's very interesting, Joshua is a masterful puncher, but you can see his punches coming, he telegraphs his punches, said Tyson.
"And that's just a recipe for disaster if you're telegraphing your punches to a guy whose 6ft 7in, come on."
Anthony Joshua is 11/8 to win the fight, while Tyson Fury is the red hot favourite at 8/15. A draw is priced at 22/1. Expect odds to change heavily leading up to fight night.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua
