Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua Close to Deal

Anthony Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has shed light on the ongoing contract discussions with Tyson Fury for a potential blockbuster heavyweight clash between the two British superstars.

"I think there's a difference between everyone moving towards finalizing a deal and the fight being ready and signed. We're currently in the first phase," Hearn stated on Ariel Helwani's show.

"Our absolute intention is to try and close the deal with His Excellency, with Netflix, and with everyone involved, but it's not ready and it's not signed. And we've been in this situation before, not involving His Excellency and not for this kind of money, and the fight has fallen through.

We were asked to get in the ring, and I asked AJ if he wanted to do it. He told me, 'I don't want to get in the ring and announce a fight that isn't ready. That's not fair to the British public, and it's not fair to create hype if it doesn't happen later. How many times have we been through this?' I told him I understood. I told the people we wouldn't be getting in the ring, and they replied, 'Okay, but he might shout something over the ropes.' I said, 'No problem, he can shout whatever he wants.'

And that's how it went down. And when I think about it, AJ handled himself quite well. In such a moment, it's very easy to just get in the ring and suddenly find yourself announcing a fight you haven't even signed. And this is the biggest fight in British boxing history. This is the biggest fight in boxing right now. And it's one of the biggest fights ever. I don't think we should play around with that and just do what we're told before everything is right and arranged the way we want it.

Especially considering what AJ has been through over the last few months. We need to ensure that everything is absolutely right for us. As I said, we are fully committed to making this fight, and I fully expect it to happen, but it will be at our pace, in the right way, and, hopefully, not too long from now.

I was actually proud of his reaction because when the pressure is like that, it's very easy to lose your temper, jump in, beat your chest, and get in the ring. But that's exactly what they wanted. And in my opinion, he played it perfectly. He didn't dance to their tune.

And to be honest, we've wanted this fight for years. And it was always: 'You'll dance to my tune. You're a loser. I'm the champion. It has to be 60-40.' So it's even good to be challenged. And you hear Fury saying, 'If I can't get Anthony Joshua, I don't want another fight. I might retire, so fight me.' And we will respond. There's almost no doubt about that.

But yes, it was very cool how AJ played it. And, as I said, he's been through a lot, Ariel. It's not just a matter of getting back into camp, signing a contract, and moving on. A lot has happened in his life, and I think he's done remarkably well to get back to this position – almost physically ready to start a full camp. And I must say, he looks great. He sounds great. I think he's entering this camp with a real purpose. I'm very excited, and I have no doubt that he will defeat Tyson Fury.

What I told Turki, Gabe, and the Netflix people was this: AJ will make his decision during the event itself. I'm not going to sit here and tell you he's definitely getting in the ring. Let's see how he feels. Let me talk to him. This was before he had even arrived at the venue.

We received the contract from these people late last week, and it's currently being reviewed, and we're preparing our notes on the changes. So, while I hope the contract moves quickly, it's just not ready yet. And I think there was a slight miscommunication because His Excellency is probably one of those people who says something is ready and is very confident it will happen, but we still have to go through the process.

And AJ won't sign an agreement he's not 100% happy with. We're in a pretty good position. Of course, there are notes and changes that need to be returned. This is a big fight. These people move very quickly. Almost to the point where you get a contract and they tell you, 'We want it back tomorrow.' But AJ is a very meticulous person. He also has his own legal team reviewing everything.

We will also review it on his behalf with our legal team. This has already been done and will be returned to the Saudis in the next 24-48 hours for their comments. I think they are also very eager to finalize it. There's nothing huge in these notes, but naturally, there are things that need to be clarified to ensure everyone is satisfied," Hearn concluded.