Fury contract allows U.S. venue but Hearn says Zuffa locked out

Tyson Fury's contract to face Anthony Joshua does not require the fight to take place in the United Kingdom, BoxingScene has learned, though promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed Friday that Joshua's deal stipulates the bout must happen on British soil.

Hearn, speaking at the Rodriguez-Vargas weigh-in in Glendale, Arizona, made clear that both fighters' agreements with Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh expressly prohibit Zuffa Boxing and UFC boss Dana White from any promotional role in the event. "Specifically in the contract it says Dana White, Zuffa cannot have any promotional involvement in the show," Hearn told reporters, per BoxingScene.

Why Zuffa Boxing cannot promote Fury vs Joshua

The contracts, negotiated between Alalshikh's Sela entity and each fighter separately, name Hearn and Frank Warren as the official promoters. White claimed last week he would promote the bout and hinted at a possible U.S. venue, with boxing officials telling BoxingScene that SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles had been floated as an option. Hearn suggested Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium could also be a White target.

Hearn acknowledged Alalshikh could push to move the fight outside the U.K., but said doing so would trigger fresh negotiations with Joshua's camp. "Turki doesn't have to take over the fight. Turki is the fight," Hearn said. "But contractually he cannot do that. So we'd have to go through a new process."

The Matchroom chief also referenced cease-and-desist letters sent to Zuffa by Golden Boy Promotions over Ryan Garcia and by DAZN over broadcast rights. "I've never seen so many legal cases against a promoter in such a short time," Hearn said, adding that White's approach of ignoring existing contracts will not work in boxing the way it does in the UFC.

Joshua is scheduled for a July 25 tune-up before the Fury clash, while Fury meets an opponent August 1 in Dublin. No official date has been announced for the heavyweight unification.

Source: boxingscene.com