Fury's Joshua contract has U.K. loophole but Hearn locks out Zuffa

Tyson Fury's signed contract to fight Anthony Joshua contains no requirement that the bout happen in the U.K., BoxingScene has learned, though Joshua's deal with Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh explicitly locks the fight to British soil.

The discovery suggests room for venue negotiation, even as promoter Eddie Hearn insists the fight was always intended for the U.K. and that any shift would require fresh talks. Speaking Friday at a weigh-in in Glendale, Arizona, Hearn told reporters that Joshua's contract states the fight "exclusively, the fight must take place in the U.K." He added that both fighters' agreements bar Dana White and Zuffa Boxing from any promotional role, contradicting White's recent public claims that he will handle the event.

Hearn: Zuffa Boxing explicitly excluded from Joshua-Fury promotion

"Specifically in the contract it says Dana White, Zuffa cannot have any promotional involvement in the show," Hearn said, per BoxingScene. "Dana doesn't know about the contract for the show that we signed and negotiated." White told media last week that he would promote the fight and hinted at a possible U.S. venue, with boxing officials floating SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles or Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as potential targets. Hearn acknowledged that Alalshikh, who owns 60 percent of Zuffa Boxing, could push for a location change but stressed it would breach the existing Joshua contract and force a renegotiation.

Both fighters have tune-ups scheduled first: Fury faces an August 1 bout in Dublin while Joshua meets Kristian Prenga on July 25. The contracts for those warm-ups and the Joshua clash were signed separately with Alalshikh's events arm Sela, with Hearn and Frank Warren named as the promoters of record for the superfight. Hearn said Alalshikh holds the financial power but cannot unilaterally hand promotional duties to White without clearing it with Joshua's camp.

Zuffa Boxing has faced legal pushback from Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN over fighter negotiations, adding friction to White's boxing expansion. Hearn noted the ongoing disputes when asked about White's involvement, saying Zuffa "can't do that without clearing it with us." The Joshua-Fury fight remains officially slated for later this year, with the U.K. still the presumed landing spot unless new terms are struck.

Source: boxingscene.com