British boxing fans voice their anger on social media, as the biggest fight ever between two Brits ends up in New York
So it appears that AJ's promoter, Eddie Hearn has conceded over the issue of the location for the superfight between AJ and Fury. After weeks insisting the venue must be in the UK as per the signed contract, he now says it will most likely be in the US, because his partners - TKO and Sela, insist on it being there.
As I suggested in a previous article, despite his vehement rejection of a non-UK location in interviews, his real objection was the prospect of his arch-rival Dana White inserting himself as the promoter of the event.
No sooner than White's Zuffa entered the promotional landscape, that it set about poaching some of the biggest stars in Eddie's boxing stable. It was clear that White wasn't interested in working with Eddie - he wanted to embarrass and destroy him. Taking over the promotion for AJ vs Fury woud have been the ultimate humiliation for Hearn.
I suspect Hearn has also been using the location as a negotiating tool. It's likely that staging the fight in the US will incur a bigger tax bill, so Eddie would have asked for compensation in the contract addendum he sent off last week.
British fans are unhappy with the fight being staged overseas, but I suspect these are the same fans who say they have no interest in the fight in the first place, because it's happening five years too late, with both men well past their prime.
However, as grudge matches go, they don't get bigger than this, and the build-up should be intense enough to sway even the grumpiest of fans. Some may even be persuaded to book a flight to Manhattan and have a couple of nights on the town while they're there.
I don't mind the fight being in New York at all. MSG is the most iconic boxing venue in the world - fitting for a fight of this magnitude. Heavyweight boxing in the US has been in the doldrums for years, and there will be those that hope that an occasion like this could help spark a revival. A booming US boxing scene would be good for fighters everywhere.
And both AJ and Fury have grown beyond their British fanbases. Thanks to Netflix, they are now international celebrities. They can also command the attention of people who have no interest in boxing.
I also like the idea of MSG as a venue because that is where AJ's worst nightmare unfolded seven years ago, when he was floored and stopped by the rotund Mexican-American, Andy Ruiz Jr.
Fury will be a huge favourite, so imagine if AJ were to upset the odds and defeat his biggest rival in the exact same spot where his world collapsed. How would that be for a story?
