The “Battle of Britain” between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is on the brink of collapse due to a promotional tug-of-war over a Saudi/UFC-backed Nov. 20 date at Madison Square Garden.
In response, Fury delivered an X-rated tirade recently, demanding promoters stop making excuses and signaling he doesn’t care who delivers the final paperwork as long as the bout gets finalized.
Tyson Fury Tells Promoters to Drop Politics and Sign Deal
Financial backer Turki Alalshikh (Sela), streaming partner Netflix, and Dana White are aggressively pushing for the bout to take place at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
Hearn is digging his heels in, asserting that the original contract explicitly mandates a UK venue. He has submitted a financial addendum to Sela, warning that moving the fight to the US dilutes the experience for British fans and financially disadvantages Joshua unless specific revisions are met.
Fury was watching the drama unfold, but he has now reached his breaking point. He recorded a video message while running on a treadmill during a workout, inviting UFC boss Dana White to join his corner. The heavyweight champion told White to ignore the political noise between the promoters and just get involved.
“If Dana White wants to be involved, he can come on my side, he can be a part of my team,” Fury said. “Get in, Dana. You want to make the fight? You come on my side. Be an advisor. Be a trainer. Be a manager.”
The Gypsy King emphasized that he does not care who handles the paperwork or gets a piece of the promotion, naming nearly every major figure in the sports entertainment industry.
“All the promoters in the world that wanna be involved, come to me and join my team. I don’t care,” Fury stated via The Sun. “It does not matter who is involved. Bob Arum, Don King, Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn, Dana White, TKO, Nick Khan, Turki Alalshikh. Whoever’s involved great, the more the merrier. Let’s get it on, no problem.”
Why Eddie Hearn Prefers a UK Fight for Anthony Joshua
However, Hearn may stall the fight if it takes place outside the UK. His hesitation comes down to a multi-million-dollar tax difference between staging the bout at home and in the US.
Both Joshua and Fury stand to earn roughly $100 million each for this long-awaited heavyweight clash. If the fight stays in the UK, Joshua keeps most of his purse under standard British tax laws.
Moving the event to New York changes everything. On American soil, Joshua faces a 37% US federal income tax rate. New York also hits high earners with an additional state and city tax package of around 14% to 15%.
This means nearly $50 million of his purse would go straight to the US tax system before he leaves the country. To make matters worse, as a UK resident, Joshua would still owe global income tax and National Insurance contributions to HMRC once he returns to London.
Hearn confirmed that Matchroom sent a contract addendum to the organizers to address these issues, but they are still waiting for a definitive answer.
“We sent the addendum a couple of days ago,” Hearn told The Sun during a recent exclusive interview. “We had a phone call tonight saying a response is incoming. But as we sit here, nothing yet. So I’m sure they’ll come back with their comments. And listen, hopefully we can move forward. But we don’t really want to move forward with an American fight. Now, will we? Maybe. But we’d rather not.”
Both men are coming off recent tune-up fights. Tyson Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) stopped veteran Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in Thailand. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) survived two shocking first-round knockdowns in Saudi Arabia before knocking out Kristian Prenga in the second round
With Fury publicly demanding a resolution, Hearn’s camp must make the next move on the contract addendum. Without an agreement on the venue and promotional rights, the expected November date remains uncertain.
