LONDON, England — Eddie Hearn has accused TKO of leaking private correspondence in an attempt to shape the narrative surrounding Anthony Joshua’s proposed fight with Tyson Fury, as negotiations over the location of the blockbuster heavyweight showdown continue.
Talks for the long-awaited clash have reportedly become complicated by plans to move the event from the United Kingdom to the United States. Turki Alalshikh, the fight’s key financial backer, is believed to be exploring the possibility of staging the contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Hearn, however, insists Joshua’s existing agreement specifies that the fight should take place in the UK.
Matchroom recently sent an addendum to Sela outlining the changes it would require if the event were to move to New York. The requests reportedly covered issues such as ticket allocations, security, transportation and outstanding financial matters connected to Joshua.
The promoter also proposed several potential undercard bouts.
Other demands later circulated publicly, including matters related to Matchroom’s darts and snooker business, outstanding payments and the renewal of the Ronnie O’Sullivan Academy licence. Hearn strongly denied that those issues formed part of the Joshua-Fury addendum.
Despite the uncertainty, he remains hopeful that the fight can still be brought to Wembley Stadium.
“The reality is that no one is really acknowledging that we’ve signed the contract,” Hearn said. “People keep saying the fight could fall through, but we can’t walk away. We’ve signed a contract, so we’re in.
“All we need is for them to call us and say, ‘Wembley Stadium, or wherever in the UK, this is the date.’ We’ll have the press conference and it’s done.”
Reports have also suggested that Joshua could receive a different financial arrangement if the fight is moved to the United States because of the tax implications of staging the event overseas.
Hearn said the proposed move would effectively leave Joshua with less money while also placing additional obligations on him.
“What they want to do is pay Anthony Joshua less money because of the difference in location,” Hearn said. “They want him to do a lot of additional things.
“There have already been breaches in Joshua’s contract, which we’ve let slide because these people are our partners and our friends — or they were.”
Hearn then accused TKO of selectively leaking emails to journalists in an effort to portray Matchroom as making excessive demands.
“There’s a game being played where emails and information are being fed to people to create a narrative that simply isn’t true,” he said.
According to Hearn, the email that circulated publicly was separate from the actual addendum Matchroom submitted regarding a potential move to the United States.
“The leaked email was between Matchroom and Sela and dealt with outstanding points we wanted resolved,” he explained. “The addendum regarding the changes we would want if the fight went to America didn’t contain those things.
“It’s a mental game, and I can’t believe people are going to these lengths. It’s a dirty game.”
Hearn also rejected suggestions that Matchroom had intentionally leaked information about outstanding payments and other commercial issues.
“We don’t breach contracts. We never have,” he said. “When we sign something, agree to something or shake hands on something, it’s done.
“We would get significantly less money if we took the fight to America than if we staged it in the UK. After signing a contract, is that fair?”
With the proposed November 20 date at Madison Square Garden approaching, Hearn admitted that a decision will need to be made quickly.
“We’ve sent our thoughts on the changes we would require if the fight took place in America,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for a response.
“Netflix is spending a lot of money and will want a major build-up, press conferences and promotional events. We also have to get into camp. This week is probably the deadline for the proposed date.”
When asked directly whether time was running out for New York, Hearn was blunt.
“I can’t give you the exact deadline because it’s not my show, but yes, I think we’re running out of time.”
Hearn remains convinced that the fight would be at its biggest and most significant if it were staged at Wembley Stadium.
“Everything that has happened over the last few weeks has only increased the demand for this fight,” he said. “If they came back and said it was happening at Wembley, the country would go mad.
“Imagine 100,000 people at the national stadium, with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua making their ring walks. That would be something special.
“If it’s in New York, we’ll go and do our job, and I’m sure it will be great. But it just won’t be the same. That’s why we’re fighting so hard for Wembley.”
Hearn also maintained his opposition to Dana White or TKO being recognised as promoters of the event. He said Tyson Fury would be free to bring White into his team in another capacity but insisted that the official promotional structure should remain unchanged.
“The promoter of the fight is Turki Alalshikh,” Hearn said. “If Tyson Fury wants Dana White as his manager or adviser, there may not be much I can do about that.
“But Dana White cannot be what he originally said he was — the promoter of the event. That is not changing.”
Hearn ultimately blamed White’s approach for contributing to the difficulties surrounding the negotiations.
“I think the person who has really put a stop to this event is Dana because of his attitude,” Hearn said.
