By Gabriel Princewill-
Boxing promoter, Frank Warren, has accused Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, of lying and causing confusion during talks to secure a unification title fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
The veteran promoter said Hearn was not truthful about developments about the fight in his briefings to the press. He said announcing that the fight was done wasn’t true and caused a lot of confusion; pointing out that contractual agreements included plans for announcement of the fight to be made together.
Warren’s reaction comes following a ruling by an arbitrator compelling Fury to honour a contractual clause for an immediate rematch with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Fury obliterated Wilder in 7 brutal rounds in February 2020, but closed the curtains on contractual arrangements for a rematch after two scheduled dates in July and December 2020. were scuppered by the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the intervention of an arbitrator, Fury and Joshua’s team pressed on to plan a lucrative showdown for a winner take all fight, implicitly optimistic that the enormity of the fight would render the trilogy fight with Wilder dead.
Warren says a deal for Fury-Wilder was never “done” contrary to Hearn’s claim in several interviews . The longstanding promoter went further to allege that his promotional rival breached a signed agreement regarding the negotiations.
“At the start of the year, all parties involved in the fight – fighters, promoters, managers – all signed a contract as to how the negotiations would take place. In that agreement there was a clause that made it very clear there was an arbitration situation going on as far as Tyson is concerned – so everyone was aware of it and that we were awaiting the outcome of that,” Warren told The Sun.
“There was another clause in there regarding confidentiality and that we would make announcements together, so that we would all be on the same page. Within a very short space of time, Eddie Hearn breached that agreement by making announcements. Every week there was something, announcements about announcements, the fight is done and so forth.
“That was totally untrue. The fight wasn’t done, it wasn’t signed and every time I did an interview I just said the truth. All these announcements, that were being made on a regular basis by Hearn, I don’t think helped and caused a lot of confusion.”
Warren also indicated that past disparaging comments from Hearn about Wilder’s co-manager, Shelly Finkel, was unproductive to their goals. 
Accused Of Causing Confusion: Eddie Hearn Image:news.sky.com
“Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon, who work with Wilder, were not interested in remuneration and said they wanted the fight. It probably didn’t help, all the disparaging remarks over the last couple of years Eddie Hearn has made about Shelly and all the names he has called him. I’m sure he wasn’t looking to do him a favour,” Warren said.
“Usyk had written to the WBO – and subsequently all parties concerned – saying that they will be suing if the fight goes ahead. So even if we had won the arbitration we would still be sued by Usyk. There would have been an action and they would have been looking for injunctions to stop it,” Warren said.
“So that wasn’t dealt with or brought to anybody’s attention. Pot, kettle and all that from Hearn. One minute he is telling everybody I’m not involved at all in the negotiations – and now it is my fault.”
Fury Will fight Deontey Wilder On July 24 Image:news.sky.com
Meanwhile Eddie Hearns has criticised Fury’s team for making no efforts to save the fight or offering Deontey Wilder any step aside money.
Responding to a question , abiut the aborted fight, Hearn told IFL TV, : “The answer to your question is, Team Fury made absolutely zero attempt to try and save the Anthony Joshua fight. Zero attempt”
“I don’t believe there was even a conversation, I don’t believe there was an offer, I don’t believe anything.
With all that has transpired, it appears evident that announcements of the fight, including establishing a date and venue for the fight was all premature while an arbitration process was underway.
Threat of a legal suit from Usyk’s team even in the event of a successful arbitration makes absolute nonsense of the hype that accompanied talks of a Joshua -Fury unification fight.
Why an arbitration was even necessary, or why it took so long to conclude are pertinent questions yet to be answered.
All we know now is that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will both have to win their respective fights for a staggered date in December to be arranged.
Wilder and Usyk will both be looking to crash the party, but if either Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua believe they have a legitimate claim to being called the undisputed world heavyweight champion, they will both have to win their fights, and look good doing so.