“Ten times bigger. Tell me a bigger fight in UK history than Fury-AJ. You’re talking about two generational greats, certainly the biggest names in British boxing,” Hearn told iFL TV. “It’s absolutely monstrous. Everyone in the country knows who AJ and Fury are. Every kid, every grandma, every auntie, every uncle. It’s just a massive event.”
In Britain it is a tribal event. It’s about the two biggest names of a generation finally settling a household grudge, regardless of whether there’s a belt on the line. But for a casual fan in Las Vegas or New York? They’ve seen both guys look vulnerable or flat lately, which makes the “monstrous” scale that Eddie Hearn pitches feel a little localized.
The fight has been in discussion for years without materializing, but Hearn pointed to the role of Turki Alalshikh in breaking through the barriers that previously stalled negotiations.
“One of the beauties of Turki doing the deal is his ability to make a deal with both individual sides separately. That’s why these fights actually happened.”
Hearn expressed confidence that the fight is now within reach, provided both fighters take care of upcoming commitments, and said an official announcement could come as early as July 25, possibly in the ring.
He also dismissed claims that interest has cooled and insisted that perception will shift closer to fight night.
“Ask those people a few weeks out from the fight if they’re interested or not. Trust me, they will be.”
Although no venue has been finalised, Wembley Stadium remains the preferred location, although the final decision rests with those funding the event.
The fight is still dependent on both sides completing their next matches, but Hearn’s position is clear: if it happens, it will stand apart from anything previously staged in the UK.
Tyson Fury is now 37, and while he looked technically sound against Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, he’s clearly lost that nimble footwork that made him a nightmare for guys in his prime.
Then you have Anthony Joshua at 36, coming into a six-round fight to put Jake Paul back in December. When a former unified champion takes half a dozen rounds to finish a YouTuber, it’s hard to argue that they’re still at the top of the sport.
