There are negotiations for boxing matches, and there are fighters who want to fight each other. Just ask Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
The latter did want to face each other, but they couldn’t agree on all the stipulations. Therefore, if they could delay the fight, they would – knowing full well that it would make more money down the line.
That was 2015, though, and this is 2021. Tell that to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who are dragging their heels over a potential deal that won’t get any bigger than it already is.
It’s sad to use the pandemic as a significant role in making an undisputed fight reality, but that is the case for Fury vs. Joshua.
Promoters on both sides have an excuse to take the fight out of the UK. They can accept whatever site fee they want from elsewhere and have a solid reason for doing so.
Despite this fact and a reported $150 million on the table from Saudi investors, they still cannot get signatures on paper. Why is this?
The only fathomable one would be that one side of the argument doesn’t want to step inside the ring with the other.
If fighters want to make a fight, they make it quickly. There’s no haggling. This scenario was evident when Fury signed to face Deontay Wilder in 2018.
Wilder had just been baffled by long-winded talks with Joshua over a fall battle that fell apart. Wilder turned to Fury and did the deal.
Likewise with Joshua. He walked away from Wilder and instantly agreed on a clash with mandatory Alexander Povetkin.
So what’s the hold up here?
MAYWEATHER vs. PACQUIAO
Mayweather and Pacquiao met themselves and thrashed out their terms. Maybe that’s what has to transpire for Fury vs. Joshua?
Are there too many people involved to get it done?
As two promised fights in 2021 get whittled down to one, and even that isn’t guaranteed, it’s not helpful to already disgruntled fans.
The influx of YouTubers and legends fighting has put pressure on the new stars to get these kinds of events over the line. Even after six months of talks, it still might not happen.
Fury vs. Joshua is looking like a one-fight deal towards the end of the year at present. A far cry from where it was just a few weeks ago.
Both sides are scrambling to get it done as soon as possible. Furthermore, maybe they need to take a step back and work on a solution down the road?
Just don’t make it ten years down the road as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao did.
The views expressed in this article are that of the Editor, Phil Jay. WBN is the top-visited independent boxing news website in the world.
Phil Jay is the Editor of WBN. An Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America since 2018. And a member of the Sports Journalists’ Association. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
