ANTHONY JOSHUA and Oleksandr Usyk’s promoters are set to hold talks on Tuesday over a potential fight with Deontay Wilder contracted to face Tyson Fury.
AJ’s undisputed bout against the Gypsy King is in serious jeopardy with the Bronze Bomber contractually tied to a trilogy fight against the unbeaten British star.
Wilder was eligible to invoke a third meeting against Fury after he was dethroned by his rival in February 2020.
But injuries and the coronavirus pandemic delayed the fight, with Team Fury claiming in October that the contract for a trilogy had expired.
However, a US judge has now decided, following an arbitration, that Wilder is legally due a third fight that must happen by September 15.
In order for Fury to face Joshua in August, Wilder could be handed step-aside money to seal the dust-up in the Middle East.
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But should Wilder refuse to budge, Joshua could face his WBO mandatory Usyk sooner than expected.
Speaking to the Express, Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk has stated he will sit down with Eddie Hearn to discuss a potential fight.
He said: “The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes this morning was several texts on my phone from different people around the world stating the same fact: Fury versus AJ is off. It is off.
“Regarding Usyk, it depends. I will speak to Eddie in one hour, we have already exchanged texts this morning.
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“It looks like we have a fight to make. We have agreed to speak in one hour when things will become clearer.
“Usyk is mandatory for WBO and the only obstacle that made them sanction the interim was the huge unification between Fury and Joshua.
“And if the fight is off then there is no other obstacles and Joshua has to deal with his mandatory.”
Unbeaten Ukrainian legend Usyk has bulked up since stepping up to heavyweight, with the 2012 Olympic gold medallist recently hitting 16st 5lbs.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
