Eddie Hearn remains confident that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will finally meet later this year, with Wembley Stadium reportedly emerging as the preferred venue.
On paper, it sounds like the news British boxing fans have waited years to hear.
Forgive me if I’m not rushing to celebrate just yet.
We’ve been here before.
Not long ago, the fight was being spoken about as though it was effectively agreed for Saudi Arabia in November. At the time, I wrote about why it appeared the long-awaited showdown had finally been put together.
So why should fans believe this latest version of the story?
More importantly, if Joshua and Fury do finally share a ring, has waiting made the fight bigger, or has boxing simply allowed the perfect moment to slip away?
Why Wembley, And Why Now?
Perhaps more than a decade of writing about boxing has made me cynical, but I struggle to believe that the sudden move towards Wembley is purely about giving British fans the event they deserve.
If bringing Britain’s biggest heavyweight fight home was always the plan, why wasn’t it done years ago?
For the last few years, Saudi Arabia has become boxing’s financial centre. The biggest purses and the biggest events have all gravitated towards Riyadh Season.
There’s nothing wrong with following the money. Boxing has always done that.
But with the current uncertainty in the Middle East making the staging of major sporting events more complicated, I can’t help wondering whether Wembley has become the practical option rather than the preferred one.
That might sound cynical.
But boxing has earned a certain amount of cynicism over the years.
And I suspect everyone involved knows the same thing.
It’s now or never.
The Fight Was Bigger Five Years Ago
I know some fans will disagree, but I don’t believe Joshua versus Fury is bigger today than it was five or six years ago.
Back then, both men sat at the summit of the heavyweight division. The winner would have cemented his place as the dominant force of an era.
The sporting significance matched the commercial appeal.
That isn’t really true anymore.
Oleksandr Usyk changed the landscape. Anthony Joshua suffered defeats. Tyson Fury lost some of the aura that once made him seem untouchable.
None of that means the fight isn’t massive.
Wembley Stadium would sell out in minutes. Millions would tune in. The atmosphere would be incredible.
But there’s a difference between a huge event and a fight taking place at exactly the right time.
Boxing’s Obsession With Waiting
One of boxing’s biggest flaws is its constant search for the perfect moment.
Promoters convince themselves that waiting another six months or another year will somehow make a fight even bigger.
Sometimes that works.
Often it doesn’t.
Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao happened years after fans first demanded it.
Lennox Lewis versus Riddick Bowe never happened at all.
The danger is that eventually the occasion becomes bigger than the contest itself.
That’s where I think Joshua versus Fury now finds itself.
The names are still enormous.
The rivalry still matters.
But the fight itself no longer carries the same significance it once did.
Better Late Than Never
Despite all my scepticism, I still think the fight will happen.
Not because Eddie Hearn says so.
Not because Wembley has suddenly appeared as the preferred venue.
But because there simply aren’t any more delays available.
Father Time is undefeated.
Everyone involved knows that if this fight falls apart again, it probably disappears forever.
Maybe the perfect moment has already gone.
Maybe British boxing missed its chance five years ago.
But if the alternative is never seeing Joshua and Fury share a ring, then perhaps better late than never is good enough.
What Do You Think?
Has waiting made Joshua vs Fury even bigger, or do you think British boxing missed the ideal time for the fight years ago?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.