Promoter Eddie Hearn says he was ‘shocked’ to learn that Tyson Fury lost his arbitration case with Deontay Wilder, and admits they may have to look at other options for Anthony Joshua sooner rather than later.
WBC champion Fury was ordered to face Wilder no later than September 15 following the conclusion of their arbitration case, meaning August 14’s undisputed fight with Anthony Joshua is in serious doubt.
“This is a shock to the system,” Hearn told Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channel. “We were always assured this wouldn’t be a problem. It’s a strange decision. We have to see now where they go with it.
“Arum was in complete and utter shock. He’s been very bullish throughout this process. It’s quite frustrating. We’ve been working tirelessly. Arum was almost shellshocked.
“Tyson Fury wants to fight Anthony Joshua. We have a deal to do so. Our partners in Saudi Arabia weren’t best pleased either. Hopefully, they can resolve it and we can move ahead.
“I hope Joshua-Fury [goes ahead]. We’ve got a fantastic deal in place for both fighters. Everything we were told was it wouldn’t be a problem. We have to think on our feet. We still hope it can go ahead though.
“We’re in a situation where if Team Fury don’t get their act together by the end of this week, we’ll have to look for an alternative. AJ wants to fight, and Usyk is the mandatory. I had a good conversation with Alex Krassyuk this morning. I told him: ‘If Fury’s team can’t get sorted, there’s a very good chance we could be fighting you.’
“We can’t wait around. We want to know by the end of this week whether we’re fighting Tyson Fury. Let’s see if Team Fury can pull something positive out of the bag.”