It seems Frank Warren has beaten Eddie Hearn to the punch in terms of being able to make a deal with the soon-to-return Tyson Fury. Hearn has said he would love to work with Fury, but Fury is, according to a piece via The Independent, “on the verge of agreeing a multi-fight deal with Frank Warren;” the first fight of which would take place on either April 14 or April 21.
Warren, Hearn’s arch-rival in terms of British boxing promoters, has outlined his plans for the unbeaten but inactive Fury – and Warren has made it very clear what the purse split must be if and when Fury and Anthony Joshua fight.
“He’s lost weight, about five stone (70 pounds) and looks great,” Warren told the newspaper. “His mindset is right, he’s ready to go. The name of the game is to keep him busy. We will get him out, fighting regularly. We will aim to get him out four times in the first year back.”
And on the subject of the fight all of British boxing, if not world boxing wants to see: Fury Vs. Joshua, Warren said this:
“I don’t care how it’s done let’s just get it done and get on,” he stated. “I think Tyson needs a couple of fights to get himself match fit and then he can go for it. Why wouldn’t he? When it comes to the split – do you know what – all the bullshit is irrelevant. You’ve got two guys – let’s just put it straight down the middle 50/50. Do you think the public cares? Let’s just get it on. They both need each other.”
Warren added, refreshingly, how he doesn’t care if the fight goes out on BT Sports, the TV network he has a deal with, AND Sky Sports, the TV company Hearn works with. “Who cares?,” Warren asked.
If this fight does get made, and if it goes out on two huge networks in the UK, it will of course pull in one monstrous audience, of paying fans. To this Warren says great, more money for the fighters.
It’s a great idea and Warren has big plans for Fury, but first must come that initial return bout, and then, after that, talk can begin in earnest regarding a heavyweight Super Fight that would, as Warren says, generate at least £100 million.
Wouldn’t it be great if Hearn shared Warren’s vision of allowing Fury-Joshua to go out on both networks? If only things could be so simple.