ANTHONY JOSHUA would need to rip up his Tyson Fury fight contract and start again if it lands in America.
AJ and Fury have both signed their sides of the deal to finally commence their Battle of Britain this year.
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Anthony Joshua would need to rip up his Tyson Fury fight contract and start again if it lands in America Credit: Alamy
Fury and Joshua have signed to fight each other Credit: PA
But Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed their terms are strictly for a bout to be staged in the UK.
UFC boss Dana White has insisted he will have an involvement in promoting the bout – with Las Vegas and New York in contention to host.
But that would mean AJ having to renegotiate his contract if Saudi Arabia’s boxing financier decides to take the fight Stateside.
Hearn told Sky Sports: “Turki Alalshikh is paying the bill, and it’s an extortionate one, so it’s got to work for him.
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“But we signed up for the fight to take place in the UK, and it’s very clear within our contract that that’s where the fight has to happen.
“Now, if there’s another reason why it might be more beneficial for us to do it in America, we’ll have those conversations. At the moment, there’s been no request for that.
“AJ was quite insistent that the fight take place in the UK, and that’s why we put it into the contract.”
The likes of Nevada will offer up huge sums just to bring entertainment events to their state.
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Whereas hosting in the UK will leave the prize pot traditionally relying only on ticket and pay-per-view sales.
But with Alalshikh fudning the fight himself – ultimately he will be the deciding factor on where the grudge match lands.
Hearn said: “Because of the working relationship with Turki Alalshikh, that’s something that he wants to do.
“We’d entertain the conversation, but if not, we’d just go ahead with the fight in the UK.”
Fury, 37, ended 16 months of retirement in April by beating Arslanbek Makhmudov, also 37, over 12 rounds at Tottenham.
And Joshua, 36, returns on July 25 in Saudi Arabia against little-known 20-1 Albanian Kristian Prenga, 35.
But Fury is also keen for one more tune-up bout before facing AJ before the year’s end.
He has not been on American soil since 2021 due to his links with Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan – who was sanctioned by the US government in 2022.
But just two months after Kinahan was finally arrested in Dubai – Fury made a shock appearance at the UFC White House card in Washington.
It appears to have opened up the door for the Gypsy King – who has no involvement in criminality – to fight again in the US.
