Eddie Hearn has claimed that Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk will not be staged in Saudi Arabia because the fight ‘is not big enough’.
An undisputed heavyweight title fight between Fury and Usyk is expected to take place at London’s Wembley Stadium on 29 April, with Saudi Arabia having seemingly been ruled out as a potential host.
When asked why that might be, Hearn told iFL TV on Friday (17 February): “The fight’s not happening in Saudi Arabia because Anthony Joshua’s not in it.
“The fight’s not big enough. The fight’s not big enough for the money Tyson Fury wants because it doesn’t involve Anthony Joshua.
“[Joshua] may be the only guy that can command that kind of money, but hopefully we can make Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua, and then Tyson will get the numbers he wants.”
Hearn, who promotes Joshua, was then asked whether a potential bout between Fury and “AJ” would most likely be held in Saudi Arabia, to which he said: “Possibly. They’ll definitely want to pay the money.”
Joshua last fought in August, suffering a second straight decision loss to Usyk, who thus retained the unified heavyweight titles that he took from the Briton in 2021. Meanwhile, Joshua’s compatriot Fury last boxed in December, retaining the WBC title by beating Derek Chisora for the third time.
Fury, 34, and Ukrainian Usyk, 36, are both unbeaten, and a contest between the fighters would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
Meanwhile, Joshua, 33, is due to return to the ring against American Jermaine Franklin on 1 April.
A long-awaited, all-British clash between Joshua and Fury was on the cards late last year, but negotiations collapsed, leading to Fury’s trilogy bout with Chisora.
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