Eddie Hearn is serious about making Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua happen next should his man beat Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night.
Joshua returns to the ring on April 1 against Franklin following two consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in which he lost and railed to win back his unified heavyweight world titles.
Usyk pushed ahead to try and make an undisputed fight with Fury – who holds to other major belt in the division – but talks crashed and burned last week, leaving ‘The Gypsy King’ in training without a dance partner.
Enter ‘AJ’, whom Hearn wants to get back into the title picture. He told the Daily Mail that he had already opened discussions with Fury’s promoter, Queensberry.
“I have had talks this week with George Warren and fundamentally the original contract is still in place.
‘And we all know that the timing is perfect now, as it happens because of the circumstances with Usyk. And that this is the very last chance for this huge fight to happen.
‘I expect to be exchanging pilot contracts with Queensberry soon. Maybe as early as next week. AJ knows there’s a big opportunity. At last. So much at stake now. But he also has his total focus on Franklin.”
The original contract the promoter refers to is from late last year when the two British heavyweights attempted to make a fight for December.
Despite some initial positive steps, the talks crumbled amidst a barrage of accusations and deadlines.
Even with those failed talks fresh in the memory, there’s no doubt that, with Usyk off the table for now, Fury’s biggest fight is with his domestic rival.
All eyes turn to Joshua’s performance against Franklin at London’s O2 Arena this weekend.