Eddie Hearn has expressed concern over whether or not Tyson Fury will accept a fight with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia towards the end of the year, but has revealed he has been assured it will not hamper plans for Anthony Joshua to face Deontay Wilder.
Skill Challenge Entertainment are keen to stage Fury vs Usyk on the same card as Joshua vs Wilder in what would be an unprecedented night for the sport – but all parties must agree first.
In a recent interview with TalkSPORT, Hearn confirmed that his charge’s clash with Wilder would go ahead even if Fury foregoes an undisputed showdown with Usyk – as Hearn expects him to.
“They’ve guaranteed us that AJ vs Wilder happens regardless of Fury vs Usyk, so if it was that all of the fights had to happen in order for the night to happen, then I’d be very sceptical. Because Tyson Fury is floating around somewhere, and I don’t think he’s going to take his piece of the fight.”
“I just think he’s asked for a lot of money, and he knows how difficult the Oleksandr Usyk fight is. And because everyone’s committed, he’ll think he has the final say and can hold everyone to ransom. But I don’t think Skills Challenge will have it.”
“I think we’ll probably end up moving forward with AJ against Wilder.”
Usyk’s promoter has recently revealed Fury is set to receive a ‘take it or leave it’ offer from their partners in Saudi. The Brit has previously said he will only face his fellow champion at Wembley Stadium.
‘AJ’ is expected to have an interim fight on August 12 against old foe Dillian Whyte, which Hearn himself admitted was a risk given the huge sums on offer for the Wilder fight.