BILLY JOE SAUNDERS and his promoter Eddie Hearn have agreed to increase their £50,000 bet on the winner of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury if the title fight happens.
Unified champion Joshua has been promoted by Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn since he turned pro in 2013 but last year Fury’s close friend Saunders also joined the stable.
Billy Joe Saunders and his promoter Eddie Hearn have agreed to increase their £50,000 bet on the winner of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury
Despite sharing the same promotion as AJ, 30, WBO super-middleweight champion Saunders, also 30, is still backing the unbeaten Gypsy King to come out on top of the historic undisputed title decider took place.
And Hearn joked Saunders – whose clash against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic – would want to lump ‘a couple of million’ for WBC king Fury to win should he beat the Mexican superstar.
Hearn said: “Obviously the big heavyweight fight that could happen later this year when I take 50 grand of you, when Anthony Joshua beats Tyson Fury.
“We still on for that bet, right?”
Saunders replied: “Yeah, I don’t know if you’d want to up it a bit now? No one’s touching Tyson at any weight at the minute.”
Hearn responded: “Well I’m up for upping that bet when it’s on. When we make that fight, me and you will discuss and increase in numbers.
“To be fair, if you get this Canelo Alvarez fight and beat him you’re going to want to probably put down a couple of million on it.”
After 31-year-old Fury dethroned Deontay Wilder of the WBC belt in late February, Hearn wanted to move to make the Battle of Britain for all the belts right away.
But those plans were scuppered immediately after Wilder, 34, invoked his right to an immediate rematch leaving Joshua left to face IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev, 38, set for June 20 at Tottenham.
However, with both of those unwanted interim bouts under threat of facing postponement or cancelation due to the deadly COVID-19 bug, Hearn revealed he could again look to negotiate AJ vs Fury taking place next.
Hearn told Sky Sports: “Well I think, all of a sudden, does the Joshua-Fury fight start taking priority, maybe over a Pulev fight, if the Pulev fight extends beyond the summer. There’s so much that could happen right now.
“I mean anything is possible, but contractually Deontay Wilder is going to want his fight next, whether that’s in July or whether there’s a force majeure that takes that to October, November wherever.
“Right now, for us, we’re fighting Kubrat Pulev, June 20, and it could be July 25, but everything is uncertain at the moment whilst the country and the world tries to contain this pandemic.”
Hearn has promoted unified champion Joshua since his 2013 debutCredit: Reuters
Despite sharing the same promotion as AJ, Saunders is still backing close friend Fury to beat JoshuaCredit: Getty
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
