Netflix trying to save Fury vs Joshua and there is 'great optimism', says Ariel Helwani
Helwani said a deadline was set for Sunday night and the hope is that Wednesday's press conference goes ahead, though he would be surprised if Dana White was there.
Netflix is trying to broker a solution to the row that has put Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua in doubt, and there is "great optimism" that the fight will go ahead, Ariel Helwani says.
"Based on the conversations that I heard were transpiring since Saturday, I know for a fact that Netflix is trying to mediate. Netflix wants to make this happen. It's a massive fight," Helwani said on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday. "...My understanding was there was a deadline placed last night. It feels to me like there's great optimism that it's moving forward. Everyone that I've talked to is sharing that optimism. Some are saying, done deal, the storm has passed. Others are saying there's still a few more issues."
He said the hope is that the launch press conference can go ahead on Wednesday, and a photo shoot on Tuesday. "Maybe even as soon as today, we will find out. Definitely, I think by tomorrow, because if... this photo shoot doesn't happen tomorrow, I think we'll be in a tough spot," he said. "In the end, I still feel like December 11th happens."
On whether Dana White would be at the press conference, he said: "On Wednesday, I'd be surprised. Will he be there on fight week? That's a big question." Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has said White and TKO can have no promotional involvement in the event.
Helwani said Hearn had come out of the row well in Britain. "He won on Thursday... He's the king of the UK," he said, adding that if the fight collapsed, the mood could turn to "your ego got involved". But "when Eddie shows up to Birmingham on Saturday for the Ben Whittaker fight, he is going to be cheered loudly": Whittaker vs Wallace UK start time.
Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday 11 December, live on Netflix. On the same show Helwani said the Paramount+ feed cut Dana White's answer on the Cardiff deal: Helwani on the Paramount+ cut. Every turn in the row is in our timeline.
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