Deontay Wilder learns if Tyson Fury could wreck chances of Anthony Joshua fight

Eddie Hearn insists that he is determined to get Anthony Joshua’s proposed fight with Deontay Wilder on in Saudi Arabia, even if organisers cannot secure a deal for Tyson Fury to face Oleksandr Usyk on the same night. Talks have been held about the prospect of the four heavyweight fighters all appearing on the same Middle Eastern bill in December 2023, on what would be a remarkable blockbuster card.

At this stage, there is no concrete guarantee that either fight will go ahead, but British promoter Hearn has lifted the lid on how he sees the situation, indicating that Joshua’s camp is keen to make it happen, providing the finances involved meet expectations of such an occasion.

Hearn offered an update on the current situation when he appeared on the Stamina for Sale live podcast with hosts Tunde Ajayi and Spencer Fearon, explaining how his team was working backwards to set up the showdown and a warm-up fight for Joshua in the summer.

Heard said: “The situation is, Saudi Arabia would like to do Fury against Usyk, AJ against Wilder on the same night.

“I went out there two weeks ago, they’re deadly serious, I’ve done two big fights with them before, I know they deliver. As I understand it, they’ve been doing their own negotiations with Deontay Wilder, which has gone very well. They’ve been talking to Usyk for a year, because he boxed AJ over there and they know the rough kind of numbers that we want based on what we received for the Andy Ruiz fight and Usyk fight in Saudi Arabia.

“Fury is another story altogether, but not my business. But all I’m concerned about is doing the deal for AJ against Wilder, because if they can’t get Usyk and Fury over the line they will still do AJ against Wilder.

“This is what they want. They want this big quartet. AJ’s already told me ‘no problem’. You hit the numbers that we want for the fight, that aren’t unreasonable and not hugely out of proportion in terms of what he received there last time, we’re in.

Hearn then went on to explain how is team is trying to secure the December showdown with Wilder first, before selecting another fighter for Joshua to face as part of his preperation in the summer.

Heard said: “And then we work backwards on that, regarding the August fight that he will be having, because we all believe he needs that fight in August, more time with Derrick James, more preperation for Deontay Wilder and then that’s it.

“Who we choose will be dependent on if we get that Deontay Wilder deal done. I like the Dillian Whyte fight. Whether he gets the Wilder fight done or not, I like that fight. It’s a fight that AJ’s going to get up for, I think it’s a fight that he can have some spite for and he’s a fighter that’s dangerous.

“They’ll be a lot on the line because if you sign a massive deal to fight Deontay Wilder in December and you’re fighting Dillian Whyte in August, it’s risky business. But I don’t feel that a fight against someone that he’s not fired up for or he’s not motivated for or someone who’s going to roll over, it’s not really going to prepare him for that Wilder fight.

“That’s where we are at, but we’re working backwards to try and get the Wilder fight over the line first.”