EDDIE HEARN has revealed Wembley Stadium is now dramatically back in the frame to host Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury.
Joshua, 36, and Fury, 38, have signed contracts to fight this year but AJ’s deal states the bout MUST take place in the UK.
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Although organisers including broadcaster Netflix and Saudi boxing financier Turki Alalshikh prefer a US fight to help capitalise on greater American viewing figures.
New York’s Madison Square Garden is the frontrunner to host the overdue grudge match on November 20 – much to Hearn’s frustration.
So Hearn, 47, has publicly called to keep the Battle of Britain on home soil – and has now received encouragement for a U-turn.
Sela – the Saudi entertainment company behind the fight – have instructed Hearn to see if the fight can be hosted at Wembley at a later start time of 2am.
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Hearn said: “I think everybody has been kind of flabbergasted at a corporate level in the fight, by quite a wave of support for a UK fight.
“It’s not like it’s a surprise to anyone, but basically we had conversations with Sela this morning and they want to start conversations with Wembley again and (Mayor of London) Sadiq Khan.
“So it’s the first time, obviously, they’ve said, all right, well, let’s look at Wembley again.
“Because everything was just like, ‘It has to be New York, it has to be New York’. So just for me, it’s the wave of public support has got everybody’s attention.
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“And we’ve now been asked by Sela to have conversations with Wembley and Sadiq Khan about dates and the possibility of certainly a slightly later start time.”
Hearn had sent revisions to change Joshua’s contract to allow for the fight to take place in the US.
And plans were in place for a press conference next week in the Big Apple to announce the bout.
But Hearn claims AJ has stood firm on wanting the fight in Britain despite pressure from Fury to accept the Stateside clash.
Hearn said: “Literally the last 24 hours, AJ’s gone, ‘Do you know what? I can’t be bothered to keep going back on this contract. Just tell them, honour your contract’.
“He is seeing the wave of support and he thinks, ‘This is great’.”
Following Hearn’s rally call it appears a late switch could be on the cards with a late start time in the UK seen as the middle ground.
He said: “So what I’m doing is I’m kind of saying to these people, listen, you’re saying it’s all about the start time. So if I get this start time, what’s the problem?”
Fury’s manager Spencer Brown added: “We will fight him on the moon. We would love it in England or New York.”