Simon Jordan and Adam Catterall argue Saudi Arabia’s financial backing is the key reason Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua can finally meet
Simon Jordan believes Turki Alalshikh has become the decisive figure in making Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua happen. Adam Catterall agrees, arguing the fight’s projected purses are too large to be funded by a UK event alone.
“I think also where AJ and Tyson Fury reside now might have some sort of bearing on where they might want the fight to be. Ultimately, 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,” Catterall said on talkSPORT.
Jordan agreed, arguing that the economics of the fight give Alalshikh the leverage to decide where it ultimately lands.
“You’ve got to ask yourself where does Turki want it? Why does he want this fight? Because he’s the money in the room. He’s the one that’s creating the outcome,” Jordan said. “If Frank and Eddie are doing it, it has a certain scale, and they’re not going to break the budget economically just to make a fight happen for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.”
Simon argued that even a sold-out Wembley Stadium would not generate enough revenue to cover the career-high purses Fury and Joshua are expected to seek. In his view, Saudi Arabia’s investment bridges the gap between what the event can realistically earn and what the two former heavyweight champions are likely to demand.
The discussion comes after Turki Alalshikh hosted a high-profile meeting this week involving representatives from Queensberry, Matchroom, TKO Boxing and Sela to discuss the future of boxing. Although Fury versus Joshua remains one of the sport’s biggest potential fights, no official venue or date has been announced.
“I suppose we have to be grateful that the fight’s eventually being made because if it was left to Frank and Eddie, probably we’d never see this fight,” Jordan said.
