Tyson Fury has suggested DAZN and BT Sport can share the broadcast rights to ensure the prospective super-fight with Anthony Joshua can take place.
The broadcast situation appears to be one of the main stumbling blocks which could prevent Fury and Joshua fighting this year, with both men signed to lengthy and lucrative deals to fight on different platforms. The world heavyweight champion is with BT Sport, while Joshua has signed a deal with DAZN for the rest of his career.
Generally, the champion would dictate most of the terms, which Fury and his promoter Frank Warren have been doing to a certain extent. But for a huge event such as a fight with superstar and two-time former unified champion Joshua, they will have to make a lot of exceptions given the massive audience that both men bring.
And Fury's suggestion for DAZN and BT to simulcast, similarly to how Fox Sports and ESPN did for his two rematches with Deontay Wilder in America, could solve a lot of problems. Speaking with The Ring magazine, the Manchester native who is known for at times trolling or embellishing made it clear that he is very serious about finally getting a deal over the line for this fight.
“In terms of DAZN, the fight can be on BT pay-per-view and DAZN pay-per-view,” Fury suggested, before offering a generous purse split with champion-challenger privilege. The pair were almost signed for a mega-money 50-50 split in August 2021, but Fury ended up having to face Wilder for a third time and in the meantime Joshua has lost his belts and a rematch for them.
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"I would ask for nothing more than champion-challenger privilege," he added. "Listen, I want to make the fight. I’d offer him 60-40 for champion-challenger. I think that’s more than fair. Listen, I’m not going to offer 75-25 like they’d do to me. If the shoe was on the other foot, they would say, ‘Well, we’ll give you 20 per cent.’
"But because I want this fight to happen, I’m willing to give him 40 per cent. And if I took this fight to the WBC, they’d probably say 70-30 in my favour. He doesn’t have anything and he’s coming off two losses, but I see the value in Joshua. Even though he’s lost to Usyk, I still think me and AJ in England is bigger than me and Usyk. It’s 60-40 – there’s the deal. Do it or don’t do it.”
Joshua's team appear to have accepted terms officially offered by Frank Warren yesterday, with a slight wrinkle being the date, which they want to be later in the year. Given the UK's inclement weather it appears that Cardiff's Principality Stadium is the only suitable stadium venue as it has a retractable roof.
