WBN managed to grab Bob Arum for a quick chat late on Friday evening as hysteria once again gripped the UK over a possible Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight.
Many, many reports of Fury vs. Joshua ‘being in talks’ to fight were bandied around. Some media personnel has since been accused of running before they can walk.
Elaborating on Arum initially informing WBN that no Fury vs. Joshua talks was happening. The Top Rank boss has now decided to explain the ongoing situation thoroughly.
One thing is sure: Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn and Fury’s UK handler Frank Warren are all pulling together as three mega-fights hang in the balance.
Arum outlined how things stand in what is a complicated climate.
Fury vs Joshua talks
“We are all saying the same thing, Eddie, Frank, and myself,” Arum told World Boxing News exclusively. “Everybody is saying the same thing.
“There’s been no negotiations whatsoever on Fury vs. Joshua fight.
“Right now, because Eddie and Frank were talking to different people and the Saudis. We also have the managers of Fury stationed in the Middle East – they have been talking to people in Saudi Arabia.
“So we all agreed that we would feel out all of the offers from that region. Only if everyone accepted an offer would negotiations then begin.
“Right now, there are no talks regarding any specific fight. That’s where it’s at. Everybody is saying the same thing.
“That’s where we are at. Because the realization is on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s not likely that we will be able to do events with spectators for quite a period of time.
“Therefore, we are fielding offers from places worldwide where we can do events with spectators.
“So when Eddie says ‘there have been no negotiations on a Fury vs. Joshua fight and ‘no negotiations’ on a step-aside fight, ‘ I’m saying the same thing. He’s speaking the absolute truth.
“That’s the situation until we know what we have from these other areas. There can be no negotiations.”
UK fight hope
Asked what he thinks of some British tabloid sources creating false hope for fans, Arum replied: “I know what the situation is. If they want to call that talks, let them call that talks.
“I don’t care what they call it. But no negotiations can begin until we go through the sites and offers for any of those fights.
“There is nothing to discuss on any fights, what the revenue splits will be or there will be step-asides or anything like that.
“Nothing is being discussed yet because it’s premature.
“What we are saying is, ‘let’s see what we have. And when we know what we have, let’s get together. We’ll discuss how we proceed, whether on Zoom or in person.
“That is the extent of the situation. We all have to stay on the same page.
“There’s obviously been contact to get to this point, but the real negotiations or ‘talks’ won’t begin until we know what we have.
“We need firm offers that we can get our hands on first,” he concluded.
