Comments Thread For: Eddie Hearn: We Need Full Crowd Capacity in the UK For Joshua-Fury

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

The biggest heavyweight fight in British history may not happen on British soil, due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, warns promoter Eddie Hearn. Shortly after Hearn's ace client Anthony Joshua downed Kubrat Pulev by ninth-round stoppage of a mandatory defense at the SSE Arena in London on Dec. 12, the attention of the boxing world shifted once more to a potential heavyweight unification clash between Joshua and countryman Tyson Fury.
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[James Hunt]

I also don't see Middle Easterners paying large sums just to host it behind closed doors. If that was the case, PacMan v Garcia would've already happened.
Just announce AJ v Usyk already. Nothing wrong with a little 4play before the great crescendo in the fall.

[Mammoth]

So Usyk next?

[Scopedog]

I also don't see Middle Easterners paying large sums just to host it behind closed doors. If that was the case, PacMan v Garcia would've already happened.
Just announce AJ v Usyk already. Nothing wrong with a little 4play before the great crescendo in the fall.

I'm in the Middle East right now (Bahrain, next to Saudi Arabia) and I don't think having it behind closed doors would be necessary. The corona situation is under much better control here than it is in the UK, the rest of Europe or the US. Strict rules actually get enforced properly here and in Saudi, and while it was quite bad back in the summer and there has been the odd flareup since, case numbers and deaths have been kept to a pretty low level for the last couple of months and vaccinations are now underway. I could definitely see an event similar to Joshua-Ruiz 2 being viable sometime around April or so or perhaps even sooner, something I doubt will be true of the UK.

That said, I also wouldn't mind if Joshua fought Usyk in the meantime so the undisputed title can definitely be on the line without strings attached. Fury can take a tuneup in the interim or fight Wilder if he has to, then the big unification can happen some time after September when things are hopefully somewhat closer to normal the world over (touch wood.) That said, if the fight can be made now, be for the undisputed title and be set in a locale that produces a satisfactory outcome money-wise for everyone involved, they should go for it. Marinating fights only tempts fate.

[Apollo7]

If it happens in 2021 I'll be happy. Would be much better with a crowd, preferably in the UK.

[Beercules]

I mean, I guess nut this fight must happen soon regardless of crowd presence

[skinnystev]

what "fast eddie" really meant to say " i got to milk the fighters and the fans for every sheckle i can possibly squeez out of them

[PRINCEKOOL]

I mean, I guess nut this fight must happen soon regardless of crowd presence

It is weird the way people cannot cope with watching a fight, without a Crowd 'I understand business wise, but I am talking about individual people'.

How interpersonal it would be, if Joshua vs Fury took place just with trainers and a few members of each team present.

One thing I have noticed about British crowds, EVERYONE praises them for being so passionate and knowledgeable. But soon as the fight finishes, they escape from the arena very quickly 'I have never understood that with boxing, the way people seem like lemmings' 5 minutes after the fight, they are out of there.

Bored of Wembley fights, it is a poor arena for boxing. The Millennium stadium with the roof shut would be way better etc

[Bob]

I've been saying this throughout covid life.
It's Aj vs Usyk next without a massive site fee.
Any excuse to protect his cash cow & take the path of least resistance.
Aj has never boxed a top 2 heavyweight & alway's uses his trinkets & money to avoid the best & box pensioner's in oldmandatories. Giving no respect to the sport or the fans.

[Butt stuff]

It is weird the way people cannot cope with watching a fight, without a Crowd 'I understand business wise, but I am talking about individual people'.

How interpersonal it would be, if Joshua vs Fury took place just with trainers and a few members of each team present.

One thing I have noticed about British crowds, EVERYONE praises them for being so passionate and knowledgeable. But soon as the fight finishes, they escape from the arena very quickly 'I have never understood that with boxing, the way people seem like lemmings' 5 minutes after the fight, they are out of there.

Bored of Wembley fights, it is a poor arena for boxing. The Millennium stadium with the roof shut would be way better etc

It’s so much better watching fights with a crowd even on TV. It creates more of an atmosphere and an event and lots of pros said they found it weird or hard to get out of second gear without a crowd egging them on, so it’s certainly impacting the quality of fights.

Plus even though the Povetkin/Whyte KO was incredible, it felt a bit flat due to no deafening crowd reaction. Not saying it wasn’t awesome, it just took a bit of the surprise off that often comes with a big KO.