Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are locked in a tense standoff with fight organizers over moving the Tyson Fury mega-fight to New York. Netflix and Saudi backers want America, forcing Hearn to demand a massive financial payout to move.
The long-awaited British heavyweight clash was originally booked with UK fans in mind. But now, American broadcasters and big-money organizers are trying to drag the bout across the Atlantic. Hearn revealed the intense pressure behind closed doors, stating: “We’re being told by Turki Alashikh and those guys, look, Netflix particularly, you know, they really want to do the fight in the US.”
That American push breaks the deal Joshua initially accepted. Hearn refuses to let organizers simply roll over them without paying up. Explaining their stance on the venue shift, Hearn stated: “I don’t agree with their arguments, but I’m not paying the money. Do you know what I mean? But we wouldn’t have signed the contract if the fight was in America,”
Hearn warns that organizers cannot simply announce New York without a signed deal. Joshua’s side retains full leverage over the contract. They are prepared to pull the plug entirely if organizers try to force the venue change without paying out a huge location premium.
Hearn is holding all the cards. Without Joshua’s green light, there is no fight in the Big Apple.
The promoter has made his strategy crystal clear. He wants to make changing the venue so costly that organizers give up on America entirely. Hearn put a price on their compliance, stating: “If you want to do it in America, you got to pay us all this money to change because we’re not really bothered about the money. We want it in England.”
This standoff gives AJ cover with his British fanbase if the fight ultimately leaves home soil. If organizers pay the enormous fee, Hearn can tell UK fans they fought to stay home until the offer became absurd. Laying out the endgame, Hearn admitted: “We want to make it so much money they just go, ‘Oh, do you know what? Let’s just do it in England.’ That’s our dream scenario. But they might pay the money, and then we got no choice.” The ball is now in the organizers’ court to decide how badly they want New York.
