Search icon

Boxing

11th May 2021

Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury confirmed for August by Eddie Hearn

Danny Jones

Eddie Hearn has confirmed the much-anticipated fight will take place in Saudi Arabia this August

As per his interview with Sky Sports, Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will finally fight this August. This is one of the most looked forward to fights in recent history.

As has been rumoured, it will take place in Saudi Arabia, with Hearn having joked that it has been the worst-kept secret, thanks to Bob Arum – Fury’s American co-promoter. The two dates proposed are either the 7th or the 14th of August.

Like the fans, Hearn said that AJ has grown tired of waiting and that the entire camp remains “frustrated” that a finalised date has not yet been selected. Still, one of two dates in August is still enough to lick our lips at.

Joshua has made his eagerness known too, having tweeted the following just yesterday:

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take Tyson long to respond back in typical Fury fashion – not exactly a clinic in smack-talk but undeniably funny, nonetheless:

The two-bout deal was finally announced back in March but the organisers had been slow to make much more progress; many even believed the fight was dead – including Arum himself.

But fear not, we’re finally going to get the fight we’ve been waiting for: AJ vs ‘The Gypsy King’ and it’s sure to be a belter. The unified champion coming up against the WBC title-holder.

Hearn also confirmed that the fight is being handled by the “same people” who organised his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 – the man against whom he won back the WBA, WBO and IBF belts by beating in Diriyah, located in Saudi’s capital, Riyadh.

The boxing promoter added: “It’s a lot of money and we’ve done this before […] We know the magnitude of the people we are dealing with. We’re probably a little bit more comfortable than they are, because they are new to this, and I get that, so we have to make them comfortable. Of course, financially, we need to make sure that everything is in order, everything is secure.”

With pubs and hospitality back open by then, this will be a true box office affair for fight fans around the country, the world even. Question is, who’s your money on?