Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has urged Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s promoters to “get the fight to London” amid speculation the clash between the British boxers could take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Fury and Joshua had just days ago appeared closer than ever to agreeing a super-fight long-in-the-making, only for Saudi organisers Sela’s wish to hold the event in the USA to emerge as a major stumbling block.
While Joshua’s side have maintained their desire for the fight to take place in the UK, Fury branded his potential opponent a “coward” on social media earlier this week, questioning the hold up in agreeing final terms to the fight, with his promoter Frank Warren asserting Fury had signed his side of the deal.
Khan, though, has issued a plea for organisers to satisfy the desires of the fighters themselves and stage the fight in London.
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Tyson Fury took to his Instagram to call out Anthony Joshua for stalling his fight, claiming that he will fight anywhere and that AJ doesn’t really want to fight. Credit: @tysonfury
“I understand the temptation of going to Madison Square Gardens,” Khan told Sky Sports News. “I understand the temptation of the money and offer, but the fans are here.
“We’ve been loyal to Tyson and to Anthony. We love them both, and we’d love to see them boxing here in London.
“I’m positive Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua know how much we love both of them. I’m not sure how much the promoters know how much we love both of them, but my message to the promoters is why don’t you do what Tyson and Anthony want, which is get the fight in London.
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Frank Warren insists Tyson Fury has done everything he can to make the showdown with Anthony Joshua happen but the fight is being held up by AJ
“We’ll get 100,000 people watching them live, plus millions watching across the globe fighting amongst the fans who’ve loved them from the beginning.”
Khan also revealed he had been in direct contact with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, saying the Matchroom chairman had approached him for help with organising the fight:
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Eddie Hearn claimed Anthony Joshua feels a responsibility to UK fight fans that AJ vs Fury should happen in the UK
“We’ve hosted some of the biggest boxing events in history in London during my mayoralty.
“Many British fans are fans of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Many Londoners love both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua recognise the importance of British boxing fans.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged promoters to “get the fight to London”
“The promoters know we’re here to help. We’ve approached those in the know to say we’re here to help.
“Eddie Hearn has approached us and we’re keen to work with Eddie and the team.”
Sky Sports has approached Queensbury Boxing and Matchroom Promotions for comment.