Eddie Hearn has insisted that Anthony Joshua would be willing to face Tyson Fury in the summer, should an undisputed bout not materialise for ‘The Gypsy King’ with Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua and Fury were in negotiations to meet in December, however talks collapsed, with the latter going on to defend his WBC heavyweight world title with a 10th round stoppage over Derek Chisora in their trilogy clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fury and Usyk are in discussions to meet next, but no deal appears to have been struck and a preferred, lucrative showdown in Saudi Arabia now seems unlikely, according to reports.
Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren has named April 29 as the likely date with Wembley Stadium emerging as a leading contender and told talkSPORT on Wednesday that the fight is “very, very close” to being finalised.
Joshua will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Usyk when he faces Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on April 1 and Hearn admits the former two-time heavyweight world champion would be willing to go straight into a blockbuster meeting with Fury in the event that he doesn’t face the unified WBA ‘super’, IBF and WBO titlist.
“He may fight Fury next,” Hearn told IFLTV.
“We’d be open for that fight.
“If Usyk doesn’t fight Fury, AJ will fight Fury next, in the summer if he gets through Franklin.
“How about that? Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. He will.
“I have no idea whether Fury-Usyk is going to happen or not. I can give you my opinion.
“But I’m telling you, if that fight doesn’t happen, we will take the Fury fight.
“He will take that fight, he will take the [Deontay] Wilder fight, he’ll take them all.
“But don’t be surprised to see that fight in the summer if the other one doesn’t happen because that’s much bigger than the Usyk fight. Much bigger.”
Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk flew into London earlier this week for crunch talks with Fury’s team and the Ukrainian was pictured alongside Frank Warren and his son George Warren at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to witness Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
‘The Gypsy King’ has dismissed Hearn’s comments and says a fight with Joshua is off the table entirely.
“I don’t even go there anymore,” the 34-year-old told SPORTbible.
“No interest in any AJ questions. Zero.
“Man’s dead in my eyes.
“There’s no business between me and him to be done. Finished.
“From 2017 to, however long it’s been, 2022 – trying to make a fight. So, it’s not happening.”
Frank Warren, who co-promotes Fury alongside Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has quashed rumours of a fourth fight between his charge and Deontay Wilder.
“Not to my knowledge at all, not to my knowledge,” Warren told talkSPORT.
“No, absolutely. That’s not happened.
“From what I understand, I think he [Wilder] been ordered to fight Andy Ruiz to become the mandatory.”
