Anthony Joshua may not have been paid for his fight against Kristian Prenga, promoter Eddie Hearn revealed. Matchroom Boxing is demanding all outstanding debts be settled before agreeing to shift the mega-fight against Tyson Fury to New York.
Eddie Hearn is playing hardball. The Matchroom chief refused to confirm if Joshua received his purse for beating Prenga last month. Instead, Hearn repeatedly slammed unpaid bills from past deals during explosive talks to relocate the Tyson Fury clash across the Atlantic. Sela wants Joshua to give up his home turf advantage and fight in America. But Hearn demands cash on the barrelhead first. The clock is ticking for everyone involved.
Hearn pulled no punches when grilled on the contract row. He insists old debts must be cleared before signing any new contract addendum. He stated: “We’re just asking for money that’s owed,” before adding, “I don’t want to go too much into that because that’s a separate time. It’s a lot of money. There’s another time and a place for that. We’re not asking for anything new. We’re just asking for our contractual obligations to be honored.”
Moving the heavyweight blockbuster to New York creates massive financial hurdles for the team. A US fight means a brutal American tax bill for Joshua. Matchroom drafted a strict contract addendum to protect their superstar fighter. They want full compensation for the tax difference, alongside guaranteed travel, media, and accreditation terms for his camp. Unpaid invoices from previous boxing, darts, and snooker events are piling up behind the scenes. Hearn denies using unrelated Matchroom invoices as leverage. Yet he will not deny that Joshua himself is still waiting for his paycheck.
No cash, no fight. Sela has not responded to Matchroom’s strict terms.
This purse controversy threatens to stall the biggest bout in British boxing history. Joshua initially signed up for a UK location, and surrendering that British setting requires total financial trust. If Sela failed to deliver Joshua’s fight purse after the Prenga bout last month, Matchroom has every reason to dig in. Demanding ironclad financial guarantees before booking flights to America is plain smart business. Until Hearn officially confirms Joshua received his purse, these unpaid debts will continue to hang over the Fury mega-fight. Fans want answers fast.
