Eddie Hearn is still hopeful that an all-British super-fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will happen.
The Matchroom head honcho is in Saudi Arabia this week as ‘AJ’ fights in the kingdom for the second time as a professional.
Joshua, 32, meets Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch for the WBA Super, IBF, and WBO world heavyweight titles on Saturday.
The fight will take place at the Jeddah Superdome, 11 months after last September’s first clash between the pair when Ukraine’s former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk dethroned Joshua via unanimous decision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
And Hearn — who has promoted Joshua since he turned professional back in October 2013 after winning gold at London 2012 — believes the showdown with ‘The Gypsy King’ will happen, providing his charge exacts revenge over Usyk this weekend.
Speaking to The National he said:
“It has always been the kingdom’s aim to make the undisputed heavyweight world championship and we aren’t very far away from that, with the winner of the Joshua-Usyk fight meeting Tyson Fury for the undisputed championship.”
Fury, who is still the WBC champion, may well have thrown a spanner into the works for that fight, though, as he announced his latest retirement from the sport last week.
Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC president, has given Fury until August 26 to confirm his retirement in writing before considering the status of the green and gold belt in the sport’s premier division.
The 34-year-old went on to relinquish the Ring Magazine title and it was revealed that the belt will be at stake between Usyk and Joshua later this week, exclusively live on DAZN in over 190 territories.
Sky Sports Box Office will air the second Usyk-Joshua fight in the UK and Ireland after paying a staggering £23million for the rights.
Joshua’s previous fight in Saudi Arabia came at in Diriyah three years ago when as he outpointed Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch for the same titles after the California-based Mexican shocked the world six months earlier and relieved Britain’s ‘AJ’ of the belts.
Hearn added:
“I think that’s the aim of the kingdom and obviously my aim is to see Anthony win on Saturday and then fight Tyson Fury for the undisputed championship.”