Joshua, Fury set to seal two-fight deal

Negotiations between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are “moving forward” with the two parties now discussing the finer details of their two-fight deal, said promoter Eddie Hearn.

Joshua and Fury, who hold all the heavyweight titles between them, agreed to face each other twice in 2021 earlier this month, with the financial aspects of the deal already ironed out.

Now, the fight British fans have been pining for is edging closer to becoming a reality, but only if the duo can overcome their upcoming fights.

Fury will face Deontay Wilder for a third time this year after dismantling the Bronze Bomber inside seven rounds to claim the WBC title back in February.

Joshua will defend his titles against Kubrat Pulev, while Oleksandr Usyk remains next in line for AJ’s WBO strap.

“The bulk is done, the financial elements of the deal,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “There is always stuff that is out of our control, i.e. the fighters winning their next fights.

“[Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum and I] had a good chat [on Thursday]. We’re getting along alright. We have our words backwards and forwards but we both want to make the biggest fight of all time.

“He’s made many of them in the past and I want to make one that goes down in history as well.

“We’re all moving forwards. We talked about the site, the other elements of the deal and we agreed to move forwards by papering this. Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Get this boxed in for 2021.”

While successful talks have been held, Fury admitted that the fight is almost too good to be true.

“If it’s supposed to happen, and I’m not convinced it is, by any means of the imagination,” Fury told iFL TV.

“I never have been convinced, never. Never, ever, ever have I been convinced that I will fight Anthony Joshua, I have never been convinced.

“How can I be convinced? If he’s got to fight Pulev and if he’s got to fight Usyk, how can I be convinced he’s going to get through those fights without losing?

“How can I be even confident I’m going to smash Wilder? Wilder can absolutely blitz me in one round, good night Vienna. That would put a hell of a wedgie in the door. This is why I hate talking about fights that don’t exist yet.

|Can I honestly say 100 per cent this fight is going to happen? I can’t. But providing we both get through our next two fights, then I know it’s going to happen.”