Queensberry promoter Frank Warren has refused to confirm if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight showdown will take place in America, but expects the bout to remain in November.
Speculation has been rife over where the eagerly-anticipated ‘Battle of Britain’ will take place, with Wembley the initial frontrunner until an issue over the start time emerged.
With Saudi boxing chef Turki Alalshikh eager to stage the fight at a time which would attract a global audience, the United States has become the favoured country to host the all-British affair with Madison Square Garden in New York primed and ready.
Asked if New York and November 20th was correct, Fury’s promoter Warren said: “That at this moment I can’t comment on.
“That will be up to his Excellency (Alalshikh) to announce when he is ready to announce it.
“No (deadline). The fighters will just need to get into training some time in September so that is what will happen in early September.
“They will be ticking over at the moment, I’m sure. I can only speak for Tyson but he is with his family.
“And then as soon as the date’s announced, he will get down to the serious and bring in sparring partners and prepare for the fight. I believe the fight will go on in November.”
Once Alalshikh made clear the fight must suit an American audience, discussions took place over whether an exemption to Wembley’s current curfew may be obtained to ensure the ‘Battle of Britain’ could begin at 2am.
But Warren said: “Of course I do (sympathise with British fans) but they contacted Wembley didn’t they, Sela, and asked if they would push the time back and as far as I understand that has not happened.”
Warren side-stepped questions about Fury’s contract and if it stipulated the fight must happen in the UK, which is the case for Joshua according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.
Joshua was sent to the canvas twice in round one by Albanian journeyman Kristian Prenga last month to raise questions about his punch resistance and it sparked debate over whether another warm-up contest could occur before he faces Fury.
However, Warren rejected that suggestion.
“He has had two fights in what, the last seven months? Jake Paul and Prenga, they are the two fights he has had,” Warren pointed out.
“He is doing a training camp with (Oleksandr) Usyk, so what does he do if he doesn’t fight? He will carry on training, training and training and he will be getting older, as will Tyson, so what is the point? Get on with it.
“What I do know is he is a dangerous man when he catches you. Coming forward he throws big punches and if he thinks he can catch Tyson and if he thinks he can hurt him, then he will fancy the fight.
“The problem he has got for himself is that he gets caught and he goes over. Looking at the Prenga fight, if that had been Tyson in there, that would have been all over.
“We have two guys who are getting very well paid but more importantly, they both want to win the fight in a big way. Neither wants to be the loser.
“There comes a time in some fighters’ careers where people think they are maybe not at their best but they go and dig deep to find something else.
“These two guys will have to dig deep when they fight each other because they both want it.
“Me? I say all day long it is Tyson but we’ll find out when that first bell goes.”
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