Bob Arum Optimistic About Joshua vs. Fury Taking Place In Q1 2022

Top Rank Boxing’s Bob Arum is feeling good about the possibility of Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury taking place in early 2022.

Much has been made about a potential undisputed heavyweight title fight between Joshua and Fury. Joshua holds the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO Heavyweight Titles. Fury is the WBC and The Ring titleholder.

The two sides had agreed in principle to two fights. Plans were in place for a big title showdown in Saudi Arabia. Plans changed after Deontay Wilder won an arbitration case, owing him a trilogy fight with Fury. That bout will take place on Oct. 9 after being delayed due to a positive COVID-19 test on Fury’s end. Joshua will put his gold on the line against Oleksandr Usyk on Sept. 25.

Arum recently had an interview with iFL TV and he expressed optimism in getting Joshua vs. Fury done for the first quarter of 2022 (h/t Boxing News 24).

“February, March, or April of next year, I believe that to be the case. I know my guy Tyson Fury wants the fight. Based on what I’ve read, because I’ve never met him, I believe Anthony Joshua wants the fight.

“Absolutely, it’s the fight that should be had that everybody wants to see. So I believe that fight will take place in the first quarter of next year.”

“What does a fight with Fury – Wilder have to do with what I’m saying about wanting to do Fury – Joshua.”

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has said he feels Fury’s team knew all along that the fight with Joshua wasn’t going to happen this year. Here’s what he told iFL TV when the fight fell apart (via Bad Left Hook).

“No one tried one inch to ever make this fight apart from me and AJ. Frank Warren and Bob Arum, I’ve not heard of one meeting, one approach, one attempt that they made to try to get a site fee or try to make this fight. Now is that because they knew they were never gonna take it, or is that because they thought they couldn’t do it, or is ‘cause just leave it to me?…they didn’t want me to make this fight, they didn’t want me to succeed in this fight.

“Now we sit at a place where I don’t really know what to believe to be honest with you. ‘Were you naive to believe what Top Rank told you?’ Maybe, but it’s a confidential arbitration, I can’t look into the case. What I can tell you is the whole team told us that arbitration will not get in the way of this fight. … At what point did Bob or Frank have one positive thing to say about this fight? So then you look at it and you say they just wanted to use me, probably — and Matchroom — as a scapegoat all along.”