Eddie Hearn, promoter and agent for IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has revealed the British-Nigerian boxer wants to fight newly crowned WBC champion Tyson Fury.
Hearn made this known after watching Fury sensationally defeat Deontay Wilder in 7 round knock out of their rematch on Sunday morning at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Their first bout ended in a controversial twelve round split draw in December of 2018.
There is a contractual clause, where Wilder has the option of forcing an immediate third fight, which would likely take place in the summer, in June or July, if Wilder goes in that direction.
Fury’s win now means Britain has all the belts in the boxing heavyweight division and Hearn has revealed Joshua wants a unification bout against Fury, a match that if agreed will determine the true king of the heavyweight division.
Reacting to the development on Sunday morning, Joshua’s promoter said he will go all out to set up a monster all-British clash next.
“I’ve already spoken to AJ and he wants to go into this fight next,” Hearn told Talk Sport.
“We have to make this fight happen. We will never, ever get the chance for two Brits to fight for an undisputed heavyweight world championship.
He loves the Tyson fight, he has has zero fear of fighting Tyson Fury. He has been through everything already and he wants to be undisputed and this is the chance for our sport to have one of those legacy moments that we will never get the opportunity to have again.
“I promise you we will do everything we can to make this fight. It has to happen.”
Speaking about Wilder’s option to take up a third fight with Fury this summer, Hearn hopes the American does not do so after he was well and truly destroyed by Fury before his team threw in the towel in the seventh round.
“I don’t think anyone wants to see a third fight because it was that conclusive but we will see if he exercises that clause,” Hearn stated.
“I probably expect Wilder to do that – I don’t see where else he has to go.
“But our mandatory [IBF] challenger, Kubrat Pulev, is also promoted by Bob Arum, like Tyson Fury, so there is a very easy manoeuvre there if Wilder doesn’t accept the rematch to go straight into this undisputed fight in the summer. That is what we have to push for initially.
“If Wilder comes back and says ‘no, I’m having my rematch’ then that is due for July or August, and it doesn’t really matter because we fight Pulev at Spurs in June and this fight happens in November/December. But our preference is to go straight into it because if we went straight into it, it would be undisputed.
“He has been through everything already and he wants to be undisputed and this is the chance for our sport to have one of those legacy moments that we will never get the opportunity to have again.”
“I heard out of his camp he was going to be aggressive and go for it and I thought it was absolute madness and it ended up being genius from him and his team,” he said.
“Just a wonderful performance. What a time for British boxing – an incredible night. I felt like he could school him but I didn’t think he could school him and beat him up, and he did that,” he added.
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