Fury v Joshua closer but hurdles still to clear

Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in seven rounds in Pattaya, Thailand on Friday. The bout was a non‑competitive affair that felt more like a nationalist sparring session than a genuine test, with Fury rarely troubled and even finding time to kiss Wach on the cheek during the contest. Held in front of roughly 1,500 spectators, the fight was not televised and instead formed part of filming for the upcoming Netflix series “At Home with the Furys.” Joshua’s night in Saudi Arabia unfolded differently. Facing little‑known Albanian Kristian Prenga, he was dropped after just 20 seconds and again early in the opening round before producing a stunning turnaround to halt Prenga in the second round. With both men victorious and contracts already in place, the long‑awaited British heavyweight showdown remains on track. Reports have suggested purses of approximately $100 million (£75 million) each, providing strong incentive to finalize the deal. Yet several hurdles remain. Many anticipated Fury would fly straight from Thailand to Saudi Arabia for a face‑off after Joshua’s win. Remarkably, the only time the two have ever shared a ring was during a sparring session at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in 2010. After defeating Wach, Fury declared he would not travel to Jeddah and, despite rumours circulating on Saturday, he kept his word. Reporters briefly thought he had arrived when a Fury look‑alike exited a car outside the arena. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, insisted the fight will happen next. “It’s done. We signed a legally binding declaration about 3 months ago,” Hearn said. Netflix is expected to broadcast the contest globally to more than 325 million subscribers, but the biggest unanswered question remains the timing and venue. New York’s Madison Square Garden in November is understood to be among the leading options as Saudi organizers seek to maximize appeal in the United States. British fans, understandably, prefer the contest at Wembley Stadium. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has previously suggested that if the bout were staged in Britain it would need to commence in the early morning hours to cater to the lucrative American television audience. Such a schedule would not be unprecedented: Ricky Hatton’s victory over Kostya Tszyu in Manchester in 2005 began at approximately 02:00 BST, and Joe Calzaghe’s triumphs over Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler also started after midnight. Wembley Stadium’s curfew is 23:00, although London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Brent Council have indicated they would be open to discussions about extending it for this major sporting event. However, sources close to the politician told BBC Sport on Friday that organizers had not been in touch. Joshua and Fury have each signed separate contracts with Alalshikh, who is financing the fight. Hearn, however, maintains that the agreement calls for the bout to take place in Britain. “We insisted that this fight was in the UK,” Hearn said. “I know that AJ will sometimes want to be a little bit of a peacekeeper but the world is he said to me, ‘I want the fight in the UK. This is simply a British fight’. I can’t hold more.” “We would have conversations but the only way the fight doesn’t take place in England is if Anthony Joshua and myself agree to it because we have a legally binding contract.” Joshua also made his preference clear after his win. “I wouldn’t expect it to be at Tottenham [Hotspur Stadium] or the [Cardiff] Principality Stadium, respectfully,” he said. “It’s just got that past when you think of Wembley.” Hearn added that if Saudi officials decide they want to stage the fight in America instead, Joshua’s contract would require renegotiation. From