%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury Come to Terms on a Heavyweight Title Unification Fight
The financial structure for a heavyweight title unification fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been agreed to, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told SI.com.
The fight will be the first of a two-fight deal and is tentatively slated for the summer of 2021.
Fury confirmed a deal was in place in a social media post on Wednesday morning.
A clash between Fury and Joshua is the biggest fight in boxing—and one of the biggest heavyweight fights in boxing history. Fury (30-0-1) is coming off a career-defining knockout win over Deontay Wilder in February. Joshua (23-1) avenged his loss to Andy Ruiz last December, outclassing Ruiz in a lopsided decision.
Buzz has been building for a Joshua-Fury showdown since Fury’s stunning stoppage of Wilder. Joshua is arguably boxing’s biggest global star, a former Olympic gold medalist who holds three pieces of the recognized heavyweight title. Fury, a former unified champ, regained a piece of the title when he dethroned Wilder, overwhelming Wilder with pressure until Wilder’s corner threw in the towel during the seventh round.
Hearn told SI.com that several details—including location, date and broadcaster—still need to be worked out. Hearn has been negotiating with Fury’s management team, MTK Global. Fury is also co-promoted by Frank Warren and Top Rank.
Both fighters will have interim fights before meeting in the ring. Joshua will defend his titles against Kubrat Pulev. That fight was originally scheduled for June, but was postponed when the global pandemic froze sports. Fury has a dangerous third fight with Wilder, tentatively scheduled for the fall.
In his social media post, Fury acknowledged that he could not look past Wilder.
“I’ve got to smash Deontay Wilder’s face right in,” Fury said. “And then we go into the Joshua fight next year. The Gypsy King vs. AJ is on.”
Chris Mannix is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA and boxing beats. He joined the SI staff in 2003 following his graduation from Boston College. Mannix is the host of SI's "Open Floor" podcast and serves as a ringside analyst and reporter for DAZN Boxing. He is also a frequent contributor to NBC Sports Boston as an NBA analyst. A nominee for National Sportswriter of the Year in 2022, Mannix has won writing awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and is a longtime member of both organizations.