Contracts have been drawn up for the heavyweight title tussle
Joshua is in line for a shot at Fury’s WBC title. © Zac Goodwin / PA Images via Getty Images
The much-anticipated heavyweight ‘Battle of Britain’ between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua appears to be drawing closer after representatives for both fighters confirmed that contracts are close to being signed, following the temporary cessation of talks in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
WBC champ Fury has long been linked to a fight with Joshua but after several false starts in the past, it now seems likely that the two rivals will clash in December following statements from both Joshua’s 258 MGT management company and Fury’s UK promoter Frank Warren.
Joshua last fought less than a month ago in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he was defeated for the second time in succession by Ukraine’s Aleksandr Usyk, while Fury has once again emerged from supposed retirement several months after scoring a knockout win against another English fighter, Dillian Whyte.
Contract will be with you very soon 🥊
— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) September 13, 2022
“258 and [Matchroom Boxing] can confirm, on behalf of [Anthony Joshua] that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday,” they wrote on social media early Tuesday morning.
“Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response.”
The open communication was swiftly answered by Warren, who responded: “Contract will be with you very soon.”
Fury had previously stated that his team had provisionally booked the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on December 3.
He had also indicated that he would be agreeable to a 60/40 split in the revenues from the blockbuster fight.
Joshua, meanwhile, has lost three of his past five fights, and on his most recent ring outing in Jeddah last month failed to recapture the WBA (Super), IBF and WBO world titles he had initially lost to Usyk in London last September.
The Brit, 32, entered the WBC heavyweight rankings in sixth position this week.
Joshua and the 34-year-old Fury had previously been scheduled to fight in August 2021 before an independent adjudicator ruled that Deontay Wilder was contractually guaranteed a third fight with Fury as part of their long-standing rivalry.
Fury won the fight by 11th-round knockout, before fighting Whyte in Wembley Stadium several months later.
Fury and Joshua had also apparently agreed to fight in the summer of 2020 after Fury posted a video to social media in which he thanked alleged cartel boss Daniel Kinahan for helping to broker the fight.
Fury has since distanced himself from the Irishman, who is the subject of criminal investigations by various authorities across the globe.
Fury was also reportedly prevented from entering the United States this year due to his apparent past links to Kinahan.
