Boxing: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua Fight?
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
Billed as ‘the biggest sporting event ever to grace the planet Earth’ and announced on 16 May 2021 as taking place in Saudi Arabia on 14 August 2021, the fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has since been thrown into doubt.
It transpires that Fury was under contract to a return fight with Deontay Wilder. This fight was postponed several times, mainly due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, and eventually Fury walked away.
Having none of this, Wilder took his case to arbitration and the arbitrator, a retired US Judge, Daniel Weinstein, found in his favour and ordered, on 17 May 2021, Fury to a rematch with him, to take place by 15 September 2021. In other words, upholding Fury’s contractual commitments. As the Weinstein order (injunction) can be enforced in the US Courts, it is expected that Fury will comply.
It appears, therefore, that the Fury/Joshua fight will be delayed or not, in fact, take place at all, unless the dispute between Fury and Wilder can be settled amicably. That is, unless Wilder can be bought off. In this connection, a figure of US$20 million has been mentioned.
However, sporting pride, on the part of Wilder, may trump such a financial settlement being reached, and the dispute may, therefore, have to be settled in the boxing ring.
It will be interesting to see what actually happens!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
