Queensberry promoter Frank Warren chats it up with iFL TV to discuss the end of the year British showdown between Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. In the conversation Warren breaks down the matchup and why he thinks the fight will come down to the man with the better mental fortitude. Check out some excerpts of what he had to say below.
Warren on the years-long build up to Fury vs AJ
“The fact of the matter is it’s on, and the pair of them are going to get in the ring and it could be a lot of soul-searching going on in that fight because it’s going to be the defining
fight for them, their careers. When you think of the good things both of them have done, the great fights they’ve been involved with, especially Tyson. Whatever way you want to look on it, people are going to judge them on it.
“It will be one of those fights when the bell goes…who’s going to let that big shot go when they’re worried about what’s coming back, the counter? How are they going to get over that counterpunch, who’s got the best whiskers, who gets up, who wants it the most? It’s going to be interesting and that’s why I really do think it’s going to be Tyson’s fight.”
On the fight taking place in the UK but likely not at ideal hours in order to accommodate US market
“It’s on, it’s in the UK and I’m sure it’s going to go on at the very early hours of the morning but that’s nothing unusual…I’ve done that numerous occasions to get fights on because you need the income and you’re in the business of not driving away TV companies or broadcasters you want to invest in the sport, otherwise they won’t want to come back again.
“We’re with DAZN, all of us with DAZN, but they’ve come in, they’re putting a truckload of money up, and obviously they don’t want to be losing money. If they lose money, it’s not good for us, they go invest in something else.
“If you want to see these fight and the money these fighters want, that fighters that want to get paid, then you got to generate the money. And that is how the economics work of it.
“We all want it early [but] if somebody’s putting up $100 million dollars for a rights fee, what do you think they’re going to do?! It’s reality we’re living in…Why is everyone going on about this b-llshit. It’s on!”
