Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua is one of the most highly-demanded fights in boxing right now. Should the title bout take shape, one expert has predicted that it won’t actually take place in the fighters’ home country, the UK.
British and boxing fans worldwide have wanted to see Fury, the reigning lineal heavyweight champion, and Joshua, the former undisputed heavyweight title-holder, settle the score for upwards of seven years. And most envisioned it taking place in Fury’s home country.
But Dr. Rob Wilson, a sports finance expert and professor of economics at Sheffield Hallam University, believes that the hopeful fight will take place either in Saudi Arabia or Las Vegas, NV as opposed to the United Kingdom.
He cited revenue generation as the biggest factor that will sway the fight away from their home country in a conversation with Grosvenor Sport.
“Even if it was 10 years ago that fight would probably not be happening in the UK, it will go to a much bigger market that can get driven by PPV. Saudi is now just battling with Las Vegas for the chance to stage the fight and get the PPV money for the top boxers in the world,” Wilson said.
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Wilson is correct in the fact that Wembley Stadium has not produced a top-10 pay per view bout in history. Conversely, the MGM Grand Garden Arena and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas have been home to a wealth of the highest-selling championship fights for decades on end.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has aggressively pursued expansion into the boxing sphere, as seen with their recent slate of fights.
Seeing that both of Fury and Joshua’s most recent matches were held at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, it would make sense that their next major heavyweight clash would follow suit.