ANTHONY JOSHUA is willing to accept a 50-50 purse split to fight the winner of Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury, according to reports.
The Brit heavyweight champ has received a “huge site offer” to put his title belts on the line in another Saudi Arabia showdown.
Anthony Joshua is ready to split the purse to fight the WBC champCredit: Splash News
Anthony Joshua could fight the winner of Wilder and Fury nextCredit: Reuters
AJ, 30, reclaimed his WBA, WBO and IBF belts with the win over Mexican Andy Ruiz Jr in December.
But the elusive WBC title, that would see him crowned the first undisputed champ for 20 years, has remained out of reach up until now.
Heavyweight rivals Fury and Wilder go toe-to-toe for a second time on February 22 – 14 months after their controversial draw.
With the WBC belt on the line, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed talks are in the process for Joshua to scrap the winner in the fight boxing fans are craving to see.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hearn said: “We have to try and make that happen.
“Right now, the fight that Anthony Joshua wants is the winner of Wilder and Fury.
We have a huge site offer in place for that fight to take place.
Eddie Hearn
“We’ve been there before. Both guys have turned down 60-40 for that fight and now we have no other option, but to offer them 50-50, because the fight will never happen, subject to the boss giving the thumbs up, which I think he knows that’s the way to make this fight.
“We have a huge site offer in place for that fight to take place.
When asked whether Saudia Arabia could hold the showdown, he said: “A big option. We have a partnership out there in Saudi Arabia.
“They put the money up for the Andy Ruiz fight. Everything they promised, they delivered. They want this fight bad and when they’ve got that kind of attitude and mentality, it’s going to be difficult to beat.”
Joshua is likely to face Bulgarian brute Kubrat Pulev in May or June or be forced to sacrifice his IBF belt.
Their bout is likely to be made official next month and Hearn confirms Joshua wants it to be held in England.
He added: “Kubrat Pulev is the frontrunner. I think we’ve established that the IBF mandatory was called before the WBO mandatory.
“Pulev is the fight for me, and more importantly for the boss, AJ, he wants it here. He’s boxed now in Saudi Arabia for his last fight, he’s boxed in New York before that.
“For me, it’s time to come home. The bad news is that Kubrat Pulev wants as much money as possible for this fight and he realises there’s more money in Istanbul, or Saudi Arabia, or the Congo, or Nigeria, but AJ is going to call the shots.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
