Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, who co-promotes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, views the unification with Anthony Joshua as the biggest heavyweight fight since Muhammad Ali collided with Joe Frazier for the first time in March of 1971.
Arum is negotiating with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, who promotes IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO world champion Joshua.
The veteran promoter believes the Fury-Joshua showdown will capture the imagination of the public – in a manner similar to the first Ali-Frazier encounter.
“The closest heavyweight fight it compares to would be the first Ali-Frazer fight which was in March of 1971. The whole world stopped. Why? Because Ali couldn’t fight because of the draft situation, couldn’t fight for three and a half years but he was still undefeated,” Arum told The Sun.
“He captured everyone’s imagination, unfortunately we didn’t have the technology we have now. We didn’t have satellites domestically like we do now to get the signal, we had to use telephone company longlines and we were limited to the number of people who could watch it.
“There was no pay-per-view at the time, but still it was by far the biggest fight that I had ever experienced then and, looking back on it, now. And I really think Fury-Joshua will begin to approach that first Ali-Frazer fight.”
Both sides are hoping to reach an agreement before the end of the month.
Unless something unexpected takes place, Arum is very confident that a deal will get finalized.
“Well, lightning could hit one of the fighters and incapacitate them and it doesn’t happen. But otherwise, I’m absolutely certain it will happen. But, remember fights like these, particularly this fight with Fury and Joshua, big financial ventures and anything of this magnitude, the lawyers are going to do good careful work,” Arum said.
“Matchroom sent us their draft of the agreement, then I set up a Zoom call with Frank and his lawyer Stephen Heath, with Tyson’s lawyer Robert Davis, with my lawyer and myself. We went over the draft, made a whole list of changes, marked up – which we call redline – sent it back to them, they then accepted most of them, maybe some additional changes and it goes back.
“But this is the normal process. The issues between the two camps continue to get narrowed down until there’s a meeting of the minds and the deal’s ready to be signed. Not at that stage yet but I’m confident we will be.”