Eddie Hearn has admitted that, despite appearing likely for the end of this year, a fight with Deontay Wilder would not be the first choice of Anthony Joshua and his team.
Reports broke earlier this month that plans were in place for Joshua and Wilder to lock horns in Saudi Arabia in December, with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk potentially featuring on the same card.
Speaking on JOE, Hearn however admitted that both himself and Joshua would prefer to jump in with domestic rival Tyson Fury rather than Wilder.
“If it was our preference, we would go straight into the Tyson Fury fight rather than the Wilder fight. Because that’s the fight that, ultimately, ‘AJ’ wants more than anything.”
“But the Wilder fight is still massive, and he wants that fight as well – so why not?”
Of the four fighters ear balled for the blockbuster event in the Middle East, Fury is the only one to deny having being contacted about it, which fans are likely to take with a pinch of salt.
Joshua had been scheduled to fight in July, potentially against old foe Dillian Whyte, but these plans now seem to have put on hold in order to avoid risking the blockbuster payday on offer from Skills Challenge Group.
‘AJ’ is no stranger to boxing in the oil rich kingdom, which played host to both his successful rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 and his loss to Oleksandr Usyk last August.
A figure of £300 million has been mentioned as the total purse for the event, which would make it by far and away the richest in the history of the sport.