Turki Alalshikh may have reached the point where walking away from Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua makes more sense than forcing an increasingly expensive fight into existence.
Neither available venue gives him everything he wants. Moving the November 20 contest to Madison Square Garden places it in prime time for American Netflix viewers, but Eddie Hearn wants significant concessions before Matchroom approves the change. The existing UK agreement gives Hearn an acceptable fallback and forces the other parties to compensate Matchroom if they want the more valuable New York placement.
BoxingScene reports that Matchroom wants Sela to oversee the production instead of Zuffa Boxing, payment of Joshua’s outstanding purse from the Kristian Prenga fight, and standard guarantees covering tickets, security and transportation. The proposed package may also give Matchroom considerable influence over the undercard, with Jesse Rodriguez-Christian Medina, Jack Catterall-Keyshawn Davis and Murat Gassiev-Jarrell Miller among the unsigned fights being discussed. Teremoana Jnr and Odel Kamara may receive preliminary places. Separate communications reviewed by BoxingScene included Matchroom requests involving payments for darts, snooker, the Ronnie O’Sullivan Academy and previous boxing events. An official insisted those items are not part of the Fury-Joshua addendum.
The reported refusal to allow Zuffa Boxing to promote the card may be the hardest condition for Alalshikh to accept after describing himself as the owner of 60 percent of the company. He would finance the biggest boxing attraction of the year through Sela, only to have his new promotional operation pushed aside. Much of the supporting lineup may also be occupied by Matchroom talent at Sela’s expense, leaving very little space for Zuffa fighters. Dana White would have no visible role in a major production backed by his own business partner.
Returning Fury-Joshua to Britain solves the venue dispute but creates another issue. A UK stadium fight would place the main event in the afternoon for American viewers, reducing its value as a Netflix attraction. The domestic gate would be enormous, yet the platform would lose the preferred Friday-night scheduling offered by Madison Square Garden.
Abandoning or postponing the fight has therefore become a genuine third option.
Recent performances have weakened the attraction. Joshua stopped Kristian Prenga in the second round last month, but only after being dropped twice and nearly finished during the opening three minutes. The result provided no reassurance about his ability to absorb heavyweight punches. Fury looked equally diminished against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach, laboring against an opponent selected to prepare him for Joshua and showing little of the movement or sharpness that once separated him from other heavyweights.
The only remaining prize for Alalshikh may be the prestige of becoming the man who finally delivered Fury-Joshua after years of failed negotiations. Everything else asks him to sacrifice money, control, or the position of Zuffa Boxing.
Unless that distinction justifies the expense, he should wash his hands of the fight. Poor performances from both heavyweights have reduced its value, yet the proposed terms ask him to spend more. Walking away now makes better business sense.
Update: Hearn Confirms Joshua’s Price for New York
Eddie Hearn has now confirmed that Anthony Joshua is willing to face Tyson Fury in the United States if Sela agrees to Matchroom’s contractual addendum.
The document includes increased compensation to cover the tax disadvantage Joshua would face by boxing in America, along with travel, media, accreditation and other protections. Hearn said Matchroom sent its terms after being asked what would be required to move the fight from Britain.
The admission changes the argument. Hearn is not refusing New York. He is using the original UK agreement to extract terms that make the switch worthwhile for Joshua and preserve Matchroom’s position within an event that may otherwise serve Zuffa Boxing.
“They said, ‘What do you want in the addendum? What do you want for us to do this?’ And a lot of it, like I said, there’s things that we want to be documented to make sure that are solid because we don’t want to keep messing around like this,” Hearn told iFL TV.
Matchroom also proposed placing three of its fights on the undercard and has sought money it claims Sela owes from earlier boxing, darts and snooker business. Hearn insisted those requests were discussed separately and do not appear in the Fury-Joshua addendum.
Separating the requests on paper does not remove the larger commercial conflict. Turki Alalshikh is financing the event, yet meeting Hearn’s wishes may require him to pay Joshua more, protect Matchroom’s involvement and reduce the control Zuffa hoped to gain from staging the fight in New York.
Rejecting the addendum creates another difficulty. A British stadium fight serves the fighters and domestic audience, but its normal start time provides far less value to Netflix subscribers in the United States.
Hearn said he had received no response from Sela or the Saudis for three or four days. The delay leaves Alalshikh facing the same bad choices, but Matchroom has now formally placed a price on the American option.
