The development is noteworthy because Joshua’s existing contract reportedly requires the fight to take place in the United Kingdom. Any move to the United States would require that provision to be renegotiated.
The possibility of Fury-Joshua being staged in Las Vegas raises an obvious question. Why take one of Britain’s biggest boxing events away from British fans?
“This fight should be in the UK, that’s where the fans wanted it, but there are time constraints, weather issues.
“We’ve got to get it sorted soon, like if it’s in the US the fans have to book flights, if it’s in the UK they still have to get time off work,” said Fury’s manager Spencer Brown. The Athletics.
While Brown pointed to practical concerns, there may be a larger commercial reason behind the growing interest in Las Vegas.
Fury and Joshua will have little trouble selling out Wembley Stadium. The rivalry has been building for years and remains one of the biggest fights to be made in British boxing. The situation is different in the United States.
Although Fury remains a recognizable figure due to his trilogy with Deontay Wilder, neither he nor Joshua are considered by American fans to be the top heavyweight in the sport. Both men have lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, neither currently holds a world title, and both are approaching the final stages of their careers.
That reality may explain why Dana White’s involvement is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation.
Fury and Joshua don’t need White to sell out Wembley Stadium. British fans would fill the venue regardless. The bigger challenge is convincing American sports fans that the fight is a must-see event.
White has spent more than two decades building the UFC into a mainstream sports powerhouse and has developed a connection with American combat sports fans that few boxing promoters can match. His direct style resonates with the blue-collar audience that helped fuel the UFC’s growth.
Equally important is the UFC’s promotional machine. Every UFC pay-per-view, Fight Night event, press conference and social media platform becomes an opportunity to market Fury-Joshua to millions of fans who might otherwise see it as a fight between two aging former champions.
If Turki Alalshikh, Netflix and the other parties involved see the United States as the biggest growth opportunity for the event, Dana’s ability to generate interest outside of boxing’s traditional audience could be one of the strongest arguments for bringing the fight to Las Vegas.
Joshua has another tune-up to take care of first against Kristian Pregna on July 25. As for Fury, he will fight an as-yet undecided opponent in August.
