Tyson Fury has openly stated that, in his view, there is merely a one‑percent chance that his long‑awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua will ever take place. The heavyweight champion made the comment during a recent appearance on his YouTube channel, Furocity, where he was asked to put a percentage on the probability of the fight happening. Fury’s remarks come on the heels of a tentative announcement that the two British heavyweights could meet at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday, 11 December.
After months of drawn‑out negotiations, promoters have hinted that the bout could become the biggest event in the history of British boxing. Yet the British champion’s skepticism underscores how fragile the arrangement remains.
When the question was posed on his livestream – "What percentage do you think there is of the fight going ahead?" – Fury answered without hesitation: "One per cent." He went on to explain his reasoning, saying that a fight can only happen when both parties are fully committed. "If you’ve got a guy that wants to fight, yeah, and you’ve got a guy that doesn’t want to fight, then how are you going to make that fight happen?" he asked. Fury reflected on his own career, noting that he has fought nearly 40 professional bouts and has been at the top of the heavyweight division for more than a decade.
"How did I manage to fight all these people before you, all these champions, for all these titles that there is in boxing? But every time it comes to fighting Joshua… it never happens," he said, hinting at a pattern of stalled negotiations. The announcement that the fight might finally be set in Cardiff listed Saudi financier Turki Al‑Alshikh’s promotion company The Ring and UFC boss Dana White as key figures behind the staging of the event.
However, Eddie Hearn – the promoter who handles Joshua’s affairs – has publicly disputed the involvement of the American promoter, claiming that White’s participation would be a breach of existing agreements. White, speaking after fellow heavyweight Johnny Fisher’s victory at the Copper Box, defended his role. "I’m involved in the fight," he declared.
"If Eddie Hearn really cared about this fight, it would have happened a long time ago. Number one, he could finance the thing himself. I’ve said this a million times… sell tickets, cut a TV deal and sell the fight." Despite his confidence, White admitted that the situation remains uncertain.
"I don’t know," he said. "The guy who’s supposed to be helping the fight has been hurting the fight the entire time.
He hasn’t done the fight any favours, let’s put it that way. We’ll all know more in the next three or four days." Fury also revealed that his original contract stipulated the bout would be held at Croke Park in Dublin, a venue that has hosted only two boxing matches in its 142‑year history. "In the beginning, I signed the contract to do the fight in Ireland, in Croke Park, because that’s where I wanted to do the fight.
So if I’d have stuck to my contract, this fight wouldn’t have happened, would it?" he mused. He added that he would go to extreme lengths to see the fight materialise: "There’s nothing that I haven’t agreed to, nothing. I’ll even tie concrete blocks to my boots to make this fight happen. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to make this fight happen." Despite his earlier cynicism, Fury concluded the interview on a slightly more optimistic note, pointing to the fact that contracts have already been signed and payments reportedly made.
"I do think it’ll happen because from what I’m hearing, they’ve been paid already. So the fight’s got to happen," he said.
"Not unless Joshua wants to give the dough back, which I can’t see them wanting to do that." The saga illustrates the complex web of interests that surround a high‑profile heavyweight clash in the modern era. On one side, there are the fighters themselves, each with personal pride, financial incentives, and career trajectories to consider. On the other, promoters, financiers, broadcasters, and venue owners each have their own stakes, often leading to competing demands and last‑minute changes. The involvement of a Saudi backer adds another layer of geopolitical intrigue, as the sport increasingly intersects with global investment trends.
Meanwhile, the tension between Eddie Hearn and Dana White highlights the delicate balance between traditional boxing promotion and the growing influence of mixed‑martial‑arts organisations seeking to expand into boxing. Fans across the United Kingdom and beyond have been eagerly awaiting a definitive answer. Social media has been awash with speculation, memes, and petitions urging both camps to lock the deal down.
The prospect of a British heavyweight classic – pitting Fury’s unorthodox, charismatic style against Joshua’s disciplined, technical approach – promises a massive pay‑per‑view draw and significant revenue for all parties involved. If the fight does go ahead on 11 December, it will likely be the culmination of months, perhaps years, of back‑and‑forth negotiations, legal wrangling, and strategic maneuvering.
If it falls through, the heavyweight division will remain fragmented, with both fighters likely to seek alternative high‑profile opponents to maintain momentum and satisfy their fan bases. In the meantime, Fury’s one‑percent estimate serves as a reminder that, in professional boxing, even the most heavily publicised matchups can evaporate at a moment’s notice.
Whether the fight ultimately materialises or not, the drama surrounding it has already captured the imagination of the sport’s global audience, underscoring the enduring allure of heavyweight boxing’s biggest rivalries.