Bob Arum says Saudi Arabia has landed Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight

Bob Arum has reportedly revealed that Saudi Arabia will play host to the first fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

The expectation has always been that there will be more than one fight between the two juggernauts of heavyweight boxing, but nobody ever really knew the details behind the process. Eddie Hearn has been talking about the possibility of the first clash happening this summer and, after a few dates and locations were initially floated around, the whole conversation seemed to go dark for a while.

Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury - not in England?

Now, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel - but it certainly won’t be what British boxing fans want to hear.

Bob Arum has revealed Saudi Arabia has landed the first of two fights between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.Jeddah is likely to be the location for the bout. July 24th, July 31st, Aug 7th are the three dates the Saudis have to chose from. #boxing Via @boxingscene pic.twitter.com/95fvOvHBrA

— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) April 20, 2021

The two leading contenders in the race to land the superfight have always been Wembley Stadium and the Middle East. There had been speculation that Las Vegas may even get in on the act due to Tyson Fury’s increased presence and popularity in the United States, but that hasn’t quite come to fruition.

According to the above post, it seems the initial bout will be hosted in Jeddah, with the date being up for grabs between July 24, July 31 and August 7.

Boxing fans aren’t likely to 100% believe this news until there’s a legitimate announcement featuring all of the required details for fans and media members to digest.

The negativity surrounding Saudi Arabia’s ability to obtain these events has been well documented over the course of the last few years, with their human rights issues often being cited as a key reason why the country shouldn’t be taken into consideration.

Alas, it doesn’t seem as if there’s a whole lot fans can do about it, with money being the key driving point behind much of the decision-making.

WWE has had their own experiences with Saudi Arabia in the past and even Anthony Joshua fought Andy Ruiz in the Saudi kingdom, in their highly anticipated rematch. Interestingly enough, Tyson Fury also competed in Saudi Arabia recently - but for WWE.

Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is the fight fans have been waiting to see for years, but this potential decision is still bound to cause some controversy.