Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are 'doing the paperwork' to stage their blockbuster, £100million heavyweight showdown in Saudi Arabia, according to Fury's US promoter Bob Arum.

A two-fight deal between Joshua, the WBA, IBF and WBO champion, and Fury, who holds the WBC crown, has already been agreed but locations and dates are still being worked on as the parties go through the finer details. 

Eddie Hearn has been on a global tour to find a suitable location and Fury revealed earlier this month that offers were on the table from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Russia, the United States and England to host the fight. 

Last week, it was reported that Saudi Arabia was in pole position to land the event and now, according to Top Rank chief Arum, a deal is close to being finalised.  

He told BoxingScene on Monday night: 'We have [site deal] contracts now that we are marking up and so forth,

'It's a big step. We're just doing the paperwork now with the Saudis.' 

Arum also reportedly confirmed that there are three dates on the table: July 24, July 31 and August 7.

Asked when the finalised details for the fight could be announced, Arum replied: 'It's going to have to be within the next 10 days, maybe two weeks.

'It's a massive economic deal.'

A fight in Saudi Arabia would see Joshua return to the country where he avenged his shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr, with a comprehensive win on points in December 2019.  

Wembley was the preferred venue for all parties but British stadiums being unable to welcome a capacity crowd in the summer meant it was unlikely the fight was going to take place domestically.

Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show last week, Joshua said he is '100 per cent' convinced his eagerly-anticipated showdown against fellow Briton Fury will happen this year. 

Fury said last week there are other offers to consider but Joshua revealed he has already put pen to paper for the contest and is awaiting a response from his rival.

Joshua said: 'I've signed my side of the deal. We've sent (Tyson) a good offer, one I'm sure he won't refuse.

'He wants the fight, no doubt about it. So do I and more than me and him, the whole public want it. I put my crystal ball out there and I say it's going to happen this year 100 per cent. End of July, early August.

'Where? That's what's (causing) the delay, because of this pandemic. We want to have people coming to the venue. It's just finding the right location. For me, Wembley would be ideal.'

Joshua, who believes he has 'five to six years left' of a professional career that has so far yielded 24 wins and a single defeat in 25 fights, also praised the unbeaten Fury for shining a light on mental health in recent years.

Fury (30-0-1, 21KOs) has been open about his struggles with depression, which he says drove him to the brink of suicide during a two-and-a-half-year hiatus from the sport after beating Klitschko in November 2015.

He made a comeback and in February last year became a world champion again when he stopped Deontay Wilder in the seventh round of their Las Vegas rematch, having previously fought to a draw in December 2018.