When it comes to Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, only listen to one man

Typically for the sport of boxing, the biggest story of the month so far has been a non-story, of which heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are at the center. Whether it’s been speculation about the venue, date, or promoter of the supposed super-fight, so many different scenarios have been reported that facts are very thin on the ground.

Truth is, there is very little we know. We’re told contracts have been signed and that one or both must first come through a warm-up bout; Joshua is locked into a July 25 date with Kristian Prenga while Fury, though he had teased a fight in Ireland on August 1, is yet to commit despite declaring his desire for an interim tussle.

Matchroom’s Joshua, we’re led to believe, has signed a contract that stipulates the fight will take place in November in the UK and that Zuffa Boxing cannot be the lead promoter. Queensberry’s Fury, meanwhile, was thought to have agreed to different terms regarding the date and location, with a clause in place that the lead promoter can’t be Zuffa Boxing or Matchroom.

Frank Warren of Queensbery and Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn have grown visibly prickly with the ongoing talk from Zuffa’s Dana White that he knows more about a fight between their fighters than either of them. Quite what Warren truly made of Fury doing Fury things last week is unknown, as the "Gypsy King" teased an alliance with White before declaring Turki Alalshikh his promoter. But what Warren did admit was that should the fight be broadcast by Netflix, which has been reported, then neither Matchroom nor Queensberry will be able to officially promote due to broadcast exclusivity with DAZN.

Then of course there is the location. London, at Wembley Stadium, would seem to obvious choice to host given that both fighters are British. But then there’s the pesky climate to consider, alluded some powerbrokers, so we may have to take this thing abroad. Las Vegas was understood to be the frontrunner to host but, with so much negativity greeting that particular news, it was left to the one man who holds this whole thing in the palm of his hands to clarify what we all should have known: Nothing whatsoever has yet been sorted out.

Alalshikh, the Saudi Arabian paymaster who is financing the whole operation, yesterday tweeted: “Till now I have not decided yet where the fight will take place and [who] will work with me… some ppl are making up stories about it.

“If you want to know the facts take it from me or [The Ring]. If you want to waste your time listen to others… You know that whatever I say I do.”

Warren, speaking over the weekend and by far and away the most experienced of all parties, said: "I'd love it to take place in the UK. But as I've tried to explain to everybody, until that meeting takes place [with all involved parties] I don't think anything is going to be determined where it takes place, or the date it takes place."

Alalshikh last week teased that summit, indicating he would set up a meeting with Zuffa's White and Nick Khan, Hearn, Warren and DAZN "to make peace and revolution for boxing". Should he succeed in turning longstanding enemies into genuine friends, it might be Alalshikh's greatest achievement in the sport.

"He's made some pretty big things happen in the sport of boxing," White said of Alalshikh's grand plan. "This is his biggest challenge yet. That I can guarantee."