Report: Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua Unification Fight Being Discussed

Discussions have reportedly begun for a heavyweight unification bout between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Discussions are taking place for a potential monumental heavyweight unification bout between champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, according to ESPN's Steve Kim. The fight would take place in Saudi Arabia or somewhere else on the Arabian Peninsula.

Fury's advisor, the Dubai-based MTK, is negotiating on Fury's behalf and is waiting for an offer from Saudi Arabian promoters. One factor in the negotiations is that the offer must be big enough to pay Deontay Wilder to give up his contractual right for an immediate rematch with Fury. Wilder, who is recovering from biceps surgery, was knocked out by Fury in a title fight on Feb. 22. Fury and Wilder are tentatively scheduled to fight later this year, in what would be their third meeting.

Wilder's advisor, Shelley Finkel, refuted a claim that Wilder was aware of the ongoing negotiations for a potential Fury-Joshua bout.

"As far as we're concerned, the next fight [for Wilder] is the third fight [with Fury]," Finkel said to ESPN.

Joshua also has a scheduling hold-up, as his next scheduled fight is against Kubrat Pulev. The two were supposed to meet on June 20, but the fight was postponed due to the coronavirus.

How the coronavirus pandemic impacts these discussions remains to be seen. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing acknowledged that the pandemic creates a layer of uncertainty over the scheduling of the potential blockbuster bout, particularly with regard to having fans in attendance.

"There's more chance at the moment that the bigger money could come next year," Hearn said. "Because we don't even know if we can do live crowds in November, December."

When contacted by ESPN for comment about where the fight with Joshua could take place, Fury responded, "I'll fight in Timbuktu if the money's right. I have a bag, and I will travel."