Saudi Arabia has reportedly made a £150 million ($194 million) bid to host a heavyweight world championship fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
The Sun newspaper in the UK cited comments from Joshua’s promotor Eddie Hearn as saying the Gulf kingdom would be prepared to spend big to host the boxing event as it continues to make its mark on the global sporting map.
Despite the money, Joshua is understood to want the fight to take place in the UK if Fury snatches the WBC heavyweight title from US boxer Deontay Wilder on February 22.
He was quoted as saying: “I think it has to be in the UK, to be fair, but I would never let a location get in the way of a mega fight.
“The reason I always said I wanted Fury to win that fight is so we could put our fight on here but if he wants to do it in America then it makes sense for Wilder to win and then we do that fight there.”
Joshua reclaimed his world heavyweight crown from Andy Ruiz in December, outclassing the Mexican-American to score a unanimous points victory in Saudi Arabia.
Billed as the “Clash on the Dunes”, the eagerly anticipated rematch marked the first time a world heavyweight title fight had been staged in Saudi Arabia.
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