Joshua v Fury: Hurdles to overcome before historic fight is real

Joshua holds the IBF, WBA and WBO world titles while Fury holds the WBC belt

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will fight somewhere, for an unknown amount of money, on a television network yet to be decided, in a contest that the Irish government wants to see boycotted.

They also have to fight and beat a handful of very capable men beforehand. Other than all of that, the contest that the boxing world wants to see is very much on.

Following the announcement that the two Britons had struck a basic two-fight deal, it seems as if everyone has had something to say.

Never has heavyweight boxing seen a bout for the four major titles - so what obstacles remain in the way of a night of history?

• 5 Live Boxing: Joshua v Fury agreed?

A fight with no home

"The key thing is the money percentage split is agreed," says 5 Live Boxing's Steve Bunce, discussing the agreement between the two fighters. "We won't know how much they will make until we know what's in the kitty."

That is likely to depend on where the fight takes place. Wembley Stadium's 90,000 capacity could secure a significant take at the gate but average ticket prices would be controversially high in order to match the one-off site fee authorities in Saudi Arabia would pay to play host.

Joshua's December rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in the Middle East was backed by a reported fee of $40m (£32m), providing a huge boost on top of the major slice of income - pay-per-view sales.

It is perhaps little wonder that when discussing how fans will want the all-British tussle at Wembley, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn simply said: "It doesn't work like that."

"All of the signs are the first of the fights will be in the Middle East," said 5 Live Boxing's Mike Costello. "This isn't a done deal. The money side of it is a huge step forward."

The risk of defeat before they can meet

Joshua has fought in Saudi Arabia and Fury performed there in WWE

Fury, 31, is contracted to face Deontay Wilder next and Joshua is scheduled to meet Kubrat Pulev, the mandatory challenger for his IBF belt.

Joshua also has a mandatory challenger for his WBO title in Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian's promoter says that position means "either Joshua fights Usyk first or fights Fury without the WBO belt".

If either Fury or Joshua were to give up a belt outside the ring, do they concede part of their percentage split in the deal already struck?

Britain's Dillian Whyte is in the mandatory challenger slot for Fury's WBC belt and is taking legal action to ensure he gets his shot at the title when the Wilder fight is out of the way.

Joshua, 30, was humbled by Ruiz in 2019 and Fury also knows what can go wrong having battled to survive a huge cut and potential shock at the hands of Otto Wallin three months later.

Both champions have big challenges on the immediate horizon. A potential defeat for either is far from out of the question.

A television-shaped hurdle

Joshua is aligned with Sky Sports in the UK and streaming service DAZN globally while Tyson Fury works with BT Sport in his home country and ESPN stateside.

A deal for the rival broadcasters to work together will be needed.

"I think one could be struck," says Bunce. "It's happened before and a deal can be reached."

If the hundreds of millions of pounds broadcasters can generate does not shout loudly enough, maybe Fury and Joshua will.

On his recent podcast, former world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch explained that when all is said and done, the elite fighters at the top of the sport have the power to insist they get a fight they want.

The Kinahan connection

Fury - installed as 1-2 favourite with bookmakers - praised his adviser Daniel Kinahan in announcing his agreed deal to face Joshua, prompting outcry.

Kinahan holds no convictions in the UK but has been named in court by a judge as a senior figure in Irish organised crime.

Some have questioned if this fight deal has been used as an elaborate PR exercise to enhance his reputation and the Irish government has called for broadcasters to have "nothing to do" with the event.

Bunce added: "Suddenly Kinahan's name has been raised up the biggest flag pole we have ever seen."

A virus and small print

While boxing is under way in the US following the coronavirus outbreak, the reception for relatively low-key fights so far has been timid.

Any iconic Joshua-Fury bout simply cannot be lost to the same eerie, behind-closed-doors environment. But the fact remains fans will need to feel comfortable in mass gatherings if the fight is to get the kind of backdrop it deserves. That may take time.

And finally there is the small print.

In 2015, promoter Bob Arum saw Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao argue about whose name went first on their fight poster. Will something similar happen here? There is also the question of whose name gets read aloud first, or who gets to ring walk second.

Expect power plays, big hurdles and minor struggles. The fight for this fight to happen is far from won.