Report: Fury, Joshua sign 2-fight deal to unify heavyweight titles

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua signed a two-fight deal Saturday to unify the heavyweight titles, reports ESPN's Mark Kriegel.

It's planned that both fights will take place in 2021, with the first in June or July and the rematch in November or December.

The deal sets out a 50-50 split in revenue for the first fight and a 60-40 split for the second, with the winner receiving the larger share, as ESPN previously reported.

While a site hasn't been determined, somewhere in the Middle East seems to be the best bet, according to Kriegel.

"This is the biggest fight in boxing and one of the biggest sporting events in the world," said Eddie Hearn, managing director of Joshua's promoter, Matchroom Sport. "It will be a major, major win for a country that wants to showcase itself."

The two fighters are considered the top two heavyweights in the world. Fury is the WBC champion and owns an undefeated 30-0-1 record, while Joshua is 23-1 and holds the WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles.

The only blemish on Fury's record is a no-decision draw against Deontay Wilder in December 2018. He defeated Wilder in a rematch for the WBC title in February 2020.

Meanwhile, Joshua's only loss came in stunning knockout fashion to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019. He won back his titles from Ruiz in a rematch six months later.

"One of the fascinations about this fight will be the buildup because they're two totally different characters, two totally different personalities," Hearn said.

"The mind games will be on another level for this fight. Tyson is very good at that. Anthony is excited by that. ... He's so pumped, so focused, he hasn't stopped training since the (Kubrat) Pulev fight (in December). He's like a caged lion. The buildup is going to be epic."