EDDIE HEARN has denied that Anthony Joshua has pulled out of his fight with Tyson Fury.
The pair of ex-heavyweight world champions have signed contracts for a bout this year – but a dispute over the location is holding things up.
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Fury – known to bluff the boxing public – spoke out on Instagram to claim AJ “s*** his pants” – leading him on the search for a new opponent.
But Joshua’s long-time promoter Hearn told SunSport: “We have a signed legally binding contract to fight Tyson Fury and that’s exactly what we will be doing.”
AJ’s deal – penned in April – stated the bout MUST take place in the UK.
But broadcaster Netflix and Saudi boxing financier Turki Alalshikh want to take the fight to America to capitalise on greater US viewing figures.
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New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden has been the frontrunner – despite a late surge for Wembley to host amid Hearn’s public pleas.
Fury is out in Miami training and called out Oleksandr Usyk – who twice beat Joshua before welcoming AJ into his camp – for a trilogy.
It followed after a blistering attack on Joshua – where he claimed the Battle of Britain was OFF.
Fury said: “AJ has s**t his pants again, yet again. After 11 years he has finally s**t his pants yet again.
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The Home of Boxing in 2026
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It has already been a blockbuster year inside the ring, and it is not going to stop anytime soon!
All eyes are focused on when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will get in the ring, with the pair due to finally settle their decade-long rivalry.
Conor Benn fights for his first world title one week later against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas – it is The Destroyer’s second bout for Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
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“This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
“Oleksandr you’re his trainer and his sensei and you know he is a weak minded piece of s**t and that he would never fight the Gypsy King, which you have had the guts to do twice.
“You got the decisions last time, fair play to you. Good luck to you, let’s do it again. Let’s run it back in November.
“The ball is now in your court… do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling quits?
“Let me know because I am now looking for a new opponent.”
Usyk – who also beat Fury twice in 2024 – is in talks with Deontay Wilder for the final bout of his career.
Meanwhile Hearn revealed he is set for talks with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to try and salvage a U-turn to see Wembley host.
But it would mean a later start time of 2am to suit the US viewing audience.
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Hearn told us in Dublin: “Thank you to all the people that have supported it because you’ve got the attention of (promoters) Sela.
“And those talks now are really heating up and moving quickly about a possible Wembley fight.
“It’s Anthony’s insistence that the fight takes place in Britain – otherwise everyone would have just given up.
But now we’re in a situation where Anthony Joshua has basically made these people change their mind and realise how important a fight in Britain is to him and to our country.
“And I think what AJ’s done is he’s seen the support that he’s been getting and how important it is to people, and it’s making him feel good.
“It’s making him feel like, ‘Yeah, let’s bring it home.’ Now they just want to explore now the possibility of a slightly later time.
“We’re going to catch up with Sadiq Khan earlier in the week and try and push it forward. We’re going to have to drive it, right?
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“Because they’re not, you know, they still want the fight in America.
“But if we can make it happen, if we can show them what’s possible, then we’ve got a great chance.”