Simon Jordan Rejects Eddie Hearn’s Fury-Joshua Venue Claim: ‘Turki Decides’

The talkSPORT panel argues Turki Alalshikh, not Anthony Joshua’s team, will decide where the long-awaited heavyweight showdown takes place

Simon Jordan has dismissed Eddie Hearn’s claim that Anthony Joshua’s team controls where a Tyson Fury fight will be staged. Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan argued the final decision rests with Turki Alalshikh because he is financing the event.

Jordan said the economics of Fury vs Joshua are too large to be dictated by gate receipts or domestic demand alone. While he acknowledged that Wembley Stadium would clearly be the natural home for an all-British heavyweight blockbuster, he argued that the final call will come down to where Alalshikh wants the fight.

“My view is that wherever Turki decides, despite Eddie’s load of old [talk] about a contract that determines where it’s going to be, who determines where it’s going to be is Turki Alalshikh and what he wants,” Jordan said on talkBOXING.

Jordan added that if Alalshikh believes the United States better serves his plans with TKO and Dana White, the fight could land there. If Riyadh Season remains the priority, the Middle East could still be selected. If he wants to stage it as a major moment for British boxing, then the UK remains possible.

But Jordan’s central point was that the person funding the event will ultimately shape the event.

“The scale of the fight is going to be dwarfed by what he thinks, what he’s prepared to pay the two fighters,” Jordan said. “It’s not going to generate it from the broadcasters, and it’s not going to generate it from the gate seats.”

Adam Booth agreed with Jordan’s view, saying the financial reality changes completely without Saudi involvement.

“Without Turki Alalshikh and Sela and the Saudi money, the economics of this fight are completely different,” Booth said. “He’s the money in the room, and he can determine it, and he can say what he wants to say because he’s paying for the right to do so.”

Spencer Oliver also questioned what Joshua and Fury’s alternatives would be if they rejected the financial terms attached to Alalshikh’s backing. His point was simple: if the money is coming from Saudi Arabia, the leverage sits there too.

Hearn had previously rejected the idea that Dana White or TKO could influence the staging of the fight, saying there was a contractual situation already in place. Jordan, however, questioned what contract Hearn was referring to, suggesting that Fury and Joshua may have separate arrangements with Alalshikh and Sela.

The debate leaves the Fury-Joshua venue picture unresolved, but the talkSPORT panel’s view was clear. Hearn may argue that the UK is contractually protected, but they believe the final decision will be made by the man paying for the fight.

Share on Facebook

Post on X