Eddie Hearn has threatened legal action against sports entertainment giant TKO after accusing them of trying to bypass Matchroom Boxing. Hearn claims TKO secretly approached Anthony Joshua to move his blockbuster Tyson Fury fight from Wembley Stadium to New York.
The Matchroom promoter exploded after learning of sneaky moves to hijack British boxing’s biggest heavyweight brawl. Calling out rival executives, Hearn launched an aggressive attack against the American organization pushing to stage the contest at Madison Square Garden.
He spat: “These people, these snakes, went around the back again a couple of days ago to try and lure Anthony Joshua into an American fight [against Tyson Fury]. TKO. They will be served with a legal letter because these people are just trying to ruin the fight,”
Hearn maintains that Joshua signed a binding agreement requiring the Fury showdown to take place in the United Kingdom. However, global streaming power Netflix, TKO, and Saudi organizers want the prime American broadcast slot and glitz of Manhattan. If Joshua leaves his requested British setting, Hearn insists the fighter must receive extra financial compensation for surrendering that massive advantage.
This is a nasty battle for control.
Matchroom spent years waiting to deliver this mega-fight. Yet global media monsters now have the cash to treat long-time promoters like simple consultants. If TKO negotiates directly with AJ, Hearn gets pushed away from the steering wheel. That would be a painful blow for the man who built Joshua into a stadium-filling mega-star.
Taking Joshua away from a roaring Wembley crowd of 90,000 hands Fury a massive boost before a punch is thrown. New York carries heavy psychological baggage for AJ. Madison Square Garden was the exact arena where four knockdowns and a brutal seventh-round defeat against Andy Ruiz Jr destroyed his perfect record in 2019.
In contrast, Fury loves the American spotlight. He built his global legend destroying Deontay Wilder during high-profile Las Vegas clashes.
Hearn’s legal threat draws a firm line in the sand, but a warning letter is not a full lawsuit. His true leverage relies completely on Joshua. If AJ accepts a monster payout to fight in New York, no angry interview will stop control from slipping away from Matchroom. British fans were promised Wembley, but big money threatens to snatch the country’s defining fight away.
