For once, the drama around Joshua vs Fury has nothing to do with what might happen in the ring. It is about a map. A signed contract says the United Kingdom, while the Saudi money behind the bout wants New York, and that standoff has pushed one of British boxing's most anticipated fights to the brink.

Tyson Fury put it bluntly this week, declaring that the long-awaited meeting with Anthony Joshua 'doesn't look like it's going to happen'.

In a run of Instagram posts he blamed rival promoter Eddie Hearn, accusing him and Joshua of being 'money-thirsty' and 'disgusting', and taunting them to 'keep running you little cowards'.

The fight had been pencilled in for November, a night many fans thought would never actually arrive after nearly a decade of near-misses. Now the venue dispute has thrown the whole thing back into doubt, with no date and no location locked in.

Why the Joshua vs Fury Venue Row Erupted

At the heart of it sits a contradiction. Joshua and Hearn have signed for the fight to be staged in Britain, yet both boxers also hold separate deals with the Saudi-owned promoter Sela, which favours Madison Square Garden in New York so the Netflix broadcast can reach American audiences at a friendlier hour.

Fury did not stop at the venue. He branded Hearn a 'bag carrier', questioned Joshua's nerve, and insisted, 'you never had the guts to fight Tyson Fury, ever, you little coward'. It was vintage Fury theatre, but underneath the noise sits a genuine commercial impasse.

The stakes are enormous. According to reports, each man could earn something close to A$140 million from the fight, based on the roughly US$100 million figure that has circulated, which helps explain why neither camp is keen to blink first.

Eddie Hearn Details Sela's Money Dispute

Hearn has laid out his version in some detail. He told IFL TV that Matchroom sent Sela a list of addenda, or requested changes, needed for the fight to move to America, with the central issue being compensation for Joshua.

The problem, Hearn explained, is tax. 'By staging the fight in America, Anthony Joshua receives less money than he would do if the fight was in the UK where he was contractually agreed,' he said, adding that the addenda also covered travel, accreditation and media arrangements, all approved by Joshua and his lawyer.

As of Hearn's comments, Sela had gone quiet, with the promoter saying he had heard nothing for three or four days.

He also pushed back on reports of a separate leaked email, insisting the issues in it were not part of the list actually sent, while confirming a parallel meeting with Sela over money owed to Matchroom from darts, snooker and the Ronnie O'Sullivan Snooker Academy in Riyadh. On whether Joshua is still owed from his recent win over Kristian Prenga, Hearn would only say that was 'a contractual position that will be left for another day'.

How Dana White's Zuffa Boxing Muddies the Deal

Muddying things further is Zuffa Boxing, the new venture fronted by former UFC boss Dana White and jointly owned by Sela and TKO Group Holdings, with TKO as managing partner. Hearn believes this American push has a clear source.

'TKO and Zuffa have basically convinced or tried to convince Turki that this fight is massive in America,' Hearn said, referring to Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh. Fury, never shy of a curveball, welcomed White in, saying, 'You want to make the fight, you can come on my side. Get in, Dana.'

For now the next move belongs to Sela and Zuffa, who have yet to respond to Hearn's addenda. Reports suggest Alalshikh has floated a compromise, a late-night start at Wembley to suit American television, which would keep the fight in Britain while chasing the US audience. Until someone signs, Joshua vs Fury remains a contract in search of a country.