BoxingScene reports that Matchroom wants Sela to oversee the production instead of Zuffa Boxing, payment of Joshua’s outstanding purse from the Kristian Prenga fight, and standard guarantees covering tickets, security and transportation. The proposed package may also give Matchroom considerable influence over the undercard, with Jesse Rodriguez-Christian Medina, Jack Catterall-Keyshawn Davis and Murat Gassiev-Jarrell Miller among the unsigned fights being discussed. Teremoana Jnr and Odel Kamara may receive preliminary places. Separate communications reviewed by BoxingScene included Matchroom requests involving payments for darts, snooker, the Ronnie O’Sullivan Academy and previous boxing events. An official insisted those items are not part of the Fury-Joshua addendum.
The reported refusal to allow Zuffa Boxing to promote the card may be the hardest condition for Alalshikh to accept after describing himself as the owner of 60 percent of the company. He would finance the biggest boxing attraction of the year through Sela, only to have his new promotional operation pushed aside. Much of the supporting lineup may also be occupied by Matchroom talent at Sela’s expense, leaving very little space for Zuffa fighters. Dana White would have no visible role in a major production backed by his own business partner.
Returning Fury-Joshua to Britain solves the venue dispute but creates another issue. A UK stadium fight would place the main event in the afternoon for American viewers, reducing its value as a Netflix attraction. The domestic gate would be enormous, yet the platform would lose the preferred Friday-night scheduling offered by Madison Square Garden.
Abandoning or postponing the fight has therefore become a genuine third option.
Recent performances have weakened the attraction. Joshua stopped Kristian Prenga in the second round last month, but only after being dropped twice and nearly finished during the opening three minutes. The result provided no reassurance about his ability to absorb heavyweight punches. Fury looked equally diminished against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach, laboring against an opponent selected to prepare him for Joshua and showing little of the movement or sharpness that once separated him from other heavyweights.
The only remaining prize for Alalshikh may be the prestige of becoming the man who finally delivered Fury-Joshua after years of failed negotiations. Everything else asks him to sacrifice money, control, or the position of Zuffa Boxing.
Unless that distinction justifies the expense, he should wash his hands of the fight. Poor performances from both heavyweights have reduced its value, yet the proposed terms ask him to spend more. Walking away now makes better business sense.
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