Frank Warren, co-promoter for WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, believes that it's going to be difficult to stage a unification with Anthony Joshua in a large UK venue.

The two fighters were slated to fight on a date in August in Saudi Arabia - but the fight fell apart when a Fury was legally ordered to honor a rematch clause due to Deontay Wilder.

Fury is now scheduled to face Wilder on October 9th, while Joshua will defend his WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk on September 25th.

The earliest the fight can take place would be in the first half of 2022.

However, with rising COVID cases across the globe, including the UK, the fight may have to head overseas - provided both boxers win their upcoming assignments.

"No one can predict what will happen with COVID," Warren told Talk Sport. 

"You think about what has happened in the last few days, we've had a situation where the numbers are rising. We are moving to winter, unless we go to Cardiff and put the roof on, there is no other stadium you can put a fight on in winter. They are anticipating COVID is going to be strong this winter, they are saying. It keeps changing and evolving, half of Australia has just shut down. Israel, who everyone was looking at and saying 'look how well they are doing', they've had massive cases there again.

'It's happening everywhere. At the end of the day, what has to happen is we've got to go with the flow and take advantage of what is around when the two guys fight. I hope by the time the guys fight the COVID thing has been beaten and we are in a much safer place and we can look at what our options are."