Rick Glaser warns Eddie Hearn over Fury-Joshua venue standoff

Rick Glaser has warned that Eddie Hearn could be putting the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua fight at risk by resisting Netflix’s preference for New York. The veteran boxing businessman, matchmaker and promoter said Hearn’s negotiating strategy could create problems for an event backed by major investment and global distribution.

Most of the parties involved reportedly favour staging the bout in New York, while Hearn and Joshua want Britain. Netflix is particularly keen on an American venue. Hearn has acknowledged that the platform is contributing substantial money to the event, although Matchroom is not financing it.

Joshua’s contractual position means the venue cannot be moved from Britain without agreement. Hearn has argued that he is protecting terms secured for his fighter and has rejected any attempt to confirm New York before that approval is obtained. His position is that the fight will not proceed if the venue is announced without an agreement.

Glaser’s criticism centres on the way Hearn is using that leverage. He argues that Hearn is not simply seeking suitable compensation for Joshua changing countries, but is trying to make the American option expensive enough to push the event back to Britain. Hearn has openly described returning the fight to the UK as the preferred outcome.

That approach could produce an immediate win for Joshua’s side, either by forcing the fight back to Britain or by securing a substantial extra payment for approval to stage it in New York. Glaser’s concern is that such a result could damage the relationship with Netflix if the platform concludes that the event has become too difficult to deliver.

Glaser also challenged Hearn to commit Matchroom’s own money behind Joshua’s position, arguing that the promoter has not made an offer to stage the fight or financially support the stance. He said boxing needs more involvement from Netflix and less conflict with Hearn.

There is no indication that Netflix has threatened to withdraw from Fury-Joshua. Glaser’s warning is about the risk of pushing a powerful commercial partner too far: Hearn may win the venue negotiation while creating a larger cost for the event and for boxing’s relationship with the streaming platform.