Joshua Digs In on UK Venue as Fury Fight Hangs in the Balance

The biggest fight British boxing can offer is stuck on a technicality, and Anthony Joshua isn't budging. Promoter Eddie Hearn says AJ is holding to his original terms for a November 20 clash with Tyson Fury — a deal that, per the Matchroom camp, contractually pins the fight to the UK. Joshua walks in at 29-4 (26 KO); Fury sits at 36-2-1 (25 KO) and remains ranked third at heavyweight.

The sticking point is geography. Netflix, set to broadcast the event, reportedly favors New York's Madison Square Garden as the more lucrative option, and Fury has signaled he's happy to fight overseas. Hearn says he and Joshua were willing to play ball with the streamer — but only if the terms of their signed addendum were honored.

Why the Deal Stalled

According to Hearn, funding partners Turki Alalshikh and Sela weren't able to satisfy all of those requests, and that's when Joshua pulled the handbrake. Hearn told IFL TV that as recently as midweek both sides were working toward a US date, but by Thursday morning AJ had flipped, telling his team to make Fury fight where they'd both signed. In Hearn's telling, Joshua's message boils down to: honor the contract.

There's needle here too. Hearn pointed to Fury's recent social media output and his floating of alternative names — WBC titleholder Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KO) and WBO champion Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KO) — as evidence 'The Gypsy King' is angling to duck the bout. Both would be genuine assignments: Kabayel is unbeaten, and Dubois is coming off an 11th-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley.

What It Means for the Fight

The stakes explain the stubbornness. Joshua last fought in a KO win over crossover opponent Jake Paul, while Fury's most recent outing was a seventh-round retirement stoppage of Mariusz Wach. Neither man is getting any younger, and this is the domestic super-fight that's eluded them for years. Hearn framed AJ's stance as a challenge thrown straight back at Fury: you'll fight anywhere? Then fight where we signed.

For now, fans are left where they've been for most of this saga — unsure whether the fight actually happens. A signed contract, a broadcast partner, funding in place, and a date on the calendar, all held up by which side of the Atlantic the ring gets built. If the money can't bend Joshua, someone else will have to.