Eddie Hearn, promoter for IBF, IBO, WBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, says his boxer has now entered full training for an expected full division unification with WBC champion Tyson Fury.
The British promoter indicates that a venue announcement is very close – for a date in July.
Both boxers are on board, as each man signed their respective portion of the agreement.
The agreement calls for two fights, with both expected to take place this year.
The biggest issues in finalizing the fight are getting close to being resolved – the date and the location.
“We can’t wait. AJ has started his training camp and Fury has been training very hard. They all want the fight,” Hearn told reporters.
“They are going to be presented with a few proposals on where to do the fight and everyone has to agree on where to do it. There is no other fight out there that comes close for either guy. July is the date. Really I think end of next week it will be done. Talks have progressed extremely well and we’re closing in on securing the venue and there will be an announcement in due course. We’re at the stage where it’s probably best not to say much more than that.”
Several locations are in play, with the Middle East bring the frontrunner according to experts.
Joshua was in action back in December in the UK, when he knocked out mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds.
Fury has been away much longer, with his last fight taking place in February 2020 – when he stopped Deontay Wilder in seven rounds to capture the WBC title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.