ANTHONY JOSHUA will jump into and undisputed decider with Tyson Fury if the Gypsy King’s camp can kill off their respective upcoming bouts.
AJ has been ordered to face IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev as soon as coronavirus allows, while Morecambe’s WBC champ is contractually tied into a trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.
Eddie Hearn wants Anthony Joshua to face Tyson Fury next
Hearn would need to pay Deontay Wilder to step aside from the Fury rematch
If the Bulgarian veteran and American KO artist could be persuaded to sideline their title aspirations, the all-British battle could commence and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has an idea.
Legendary promoter Bob Arum is Pulev’s promoter and he has spent the last three years dealing regularly with Wilder’s camp.
So Hearn hopes he can hold the key to paying off Wilder, on behalf of Fury, and convincing 38-year-old Pulev of another route.
The Matchroom boss said: “Knowing Deontay Wilder, I cannot imagine in a million years he will step aside, he has too much pride.
“But if Bob Arum rings me up and says Wilder wants to step aside, there is a conversation to have, but I cannot see it.
“I have not offered Pulev any stepaside money, Never ever.
“If Bob could speak to Wilder and Pulev and get them to step aside, then we would be willing to go straight into the Fury fight.
“Would Pulev take it at this stage of his career? Probably. But would Wilder? Probably not.”
Hearn insists he has never helped arrange for one of his fighters to accept a stepaside fee and, despite hoping Wilder takes the bait, he is scathing of anyone who does.
The Essex matchmaker says AJ would never have accepted cash over his successful December rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr and he would have got it both barrels if he had even delivered an offer.
He said: “I would love Wilder to step aside, but it would be embarrassing, it would show weakness.
“If I had told AJ, after his loss to Ruiz Jr, that someone had offered him a few quid to step aside and not take the rematch, how do you think that conversation would have gone?
“Something a bit like ‘f*** right off, there isn’t an amount of money in the world that you could give me.’.
“If you take stepaside money, as a former champion turning down a rematch, you are showing horrific weakness because you are letting someone take from you something that is yours.
“If you believe in yourself and back yourself, you never take stepaside money.”
Promoter Hearn insists he has never helped arrange for one of his fighters to accept a stepaside fee
Anthony Joshua is helping to fund a £100,000 scheme to help out fitness experts in the UK
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
