So if AJ v Fury doesn’t happen, whose fault is it?

[Beanz]

No option for Uncle Bob then? (:

In the last 48hrs he has said

"We're not paying Wilder to step aside," Arum told Mark Kriegel of ESPN. "It's better to get rid of him and go about our business. We can make the Fury-Joshua fight for November or December."

And also

Bob Arum calls the arbitrators ruling on Fury-Wilder a "preposterous decision." Says the plan is to move ahead with Fury-Joshua in August and try to sell Wilder on facing the winner in November/December.

This is after him claiming the AJ/Fury fight was 'a mirage' and the Hearn was trying to squeeze the last big money fight out of AJ before the matchroom/Sky contracts run out and really it was a way to squirm out of facing Usyk.

[Beanz]

I don't mind if it is delayed.

I am supposed to be getting married on the 14th and could do without the expense and hassle of sorting out a projector and screen.

It should also be in the UK, but that is about as likely as me having my elbows on the ring apron.

For Fury one minute it has nothing to do with the money, then it's all about the money, then it has nothing to do with the money again.

When it does happen, don't forget the guy who struggled with Mcdermott is still wide open to the uppercut he hit himself with, one of the best shots in AJ's arsenal.

[erics44]

I don't mind if it is delayed.

I am supposed to be getting married on the 14th and could do without the expense and hassle of sorting out a projector and screen.

It should also be in the UK, but that is about as likely as me having my elbows on the ring apron.

For Fury one minute it has nothing to do with the money, then it's all about the money, then it has nothing to do with the money again.

When it does happen, don't forget the guy who struggled with Mcdermott is still wide open to the uppercut he hit himself with, one of the best shots in AJ's arsenal.

congratulations

I got married the day before the fa cup final between united and arsenal, was a sticking point in the marriage negotiations, she ended up agreeing to the honeymoon starting the day after the game as long as I didn't go out and get hammered for the game

[X]

​Team Fury, for apparently thinking they didn’t have to honour a cast iron contract already in place to fight Wilder.

[Memphis]

​Team Fury, for apparently thinking they didn’t have to honour a cast iron contract already in place to fight Wilder.

They've got form here. Same thing happened with the Wlad/Glazkov fights. They thought they could go ahead and fight Wlad. They were wrong and got tucked up by Glazkov/Duva. They won't learn.

[TitoFan]

It's not like it's never going to happen. Strange for a bunch of fans used to fights being "marinated", and having waited eons for clashes such as Floyd-Pacquiao and Canelo-GGG.

It's not like Fury and Joshua have been dancing around for years after Fury beat Wilder. It was Wilder and Joshua who were locked in that interminable dance before Fury crashed the party and fought Wilder.

They're both still young, by HW standards, and so what if they need to take care of another roadblock before meeting.

Let's just hope they both show the same getup in arranging to fight if and when they've taken care of their obligations.

[sanatogen]

Fury beat Wlad and had a path to become undisputed long ago
Joshua had a chance, but who knows why that didn't happen either.

Wilder is simply asking what's he's contractually obliged. Crap timing, but it's a 3 fight contract that Fury signed.

Arum, get it done. Fury can bite the bullet cough up 14m from the mega payday with Joshua and clean out wilder later.

If Team Fury can't get it done, then they may as well hide in a cave. Fury will be well aware his name will be mud.

[Ron Swanson]

​Team Fury, for apparently thinking they didn’t have to honour a cast iron contract already in place to fight Wilder.

Yep, strange to watch these people try to pretend it’s anything else. Things aren’t nearly as dramatic as the internet would have you believe. Everyone swooning, chill, take a sip of water and get out of your heads. Things are exactly as they appear to be.

[Memphis]

Fury is to blame for opening his trap prematurely. Everyone knew the arbitration was casting a shadow over the fight but the party line is that Bob assured people that it wasn't an issue. At worst a financial reprimand.

We're all used to fights not materialising. People get upset for all sorts of reasons at the 11th hour. Ring too small/big, gloves not right, want more money, failed dope tests. That's also shit, but we begrudgingly accept it as part and parcel of this thing we love.

This fight was huge news. Huge not only because an undisputed heavyweight champion of the World is the holy grail. But because people have been having a shit time and something amazing to look forward to was a real shot in the arm. It was also an opportunity for boxing to show that it could get it's shit together and put the best versus the best in the flagship division and give the fans exactly what they want. It was everything.

If Fury keeps his gob shut. This shit show is still a shit show, but it's not half as bad.

[Primo Carnera]

No option for Uncle Bob then? (:

In the last 48hrs he has said

"We're not paying Wilder to step aside," Arum told Mark Kriegel of ESPN. "It's better to get rid of him and go about our business. We can make the Fury-Joshua fight for November or December."

And also

Bob Arum calls the arbitrators ruling on Fury-Wilder a "preposterous decision." Says the plan is to move ahead with Fury-Joshua in August and try to sell Wilder on facing the winner in November/December.

This is after him claiming the AJ/Fury fight was 'a mirage' and the Hearn was trying to squeeze the last big money fight out of AJ before the matchroom/Sky contracts run out and really it was a way to squirm out of facing Usyk.

I’ll try to answer your posts in one.
1. Good luck for the upcoming wedding.
2. There is an option for Arum .
3. Although I said I wasn’t sure whose to blame , one thing is for absolute certain. AJ is the only one who is completely blameless. And yes, I’ve read some of the stuff on social media aimed at Joshua, and it is nothing short of pathetic.

[Kirkland Laing]

I had no idea the Fury Wilder contract thing had gone to arbitration. You'd think Bob and Frank would have had something from Wilder in writing saying he wouldn't exercise his clause if they're negotiating for a Joshua fight.

Things we know.

Bob and Frank's lawyers will have advised them that Wilder might be able to throw a spanner in the works before they started negotiating with Hearn even if they didn't know that anyway.

They still went ahead and did it. So did Hearn, who would have been similarly advised.

This leads you to believe that they were always considering the option of paying Wilder to step aside if he won the arbitration decision.

They're now saying they're not going to pay step aside money and are trying to sell Wilder on a fight with the winner.

In boxing promoters will always make the biggest available payday in a situation like this particularly when the payday is so big. There have been reports that Saudi are offering a hundred and fifty million site fee. Then add on forty or fifty global telly money.

Wilder's step aside demand begins to look like excellent value for money especially when it's an initial offer. He'd probably settle for ten.

Bob and Frank and Tyson are set for a gigantic payday that dwarfs anything they've made before. Frank doesn't make the fight, Fury blows it against Wilder and Frank is back doing shows at the Copper Box. Not so bad for Arum but the man is an accountant, he's purely about the money and the money decision here is obvious. From a financial and a sporting viewpoint the decision for Fury is obvious too.

Assuming the Saudi number is anywhere close to reports -- and it could be a fraction of that and so much smaller to the extent it changes all the calculations above -- I would expect some kind of deal to be done between Wilder and BFT sooner rather than later.