By Tim Parsons-
Undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and newly crowned champion Tyson Fury, are in talks to stage a lucrative contest at the end of 2020 in Saudi Arabia that will include paying off Deontey Wilder. The Bronze Bomber exercised a clause in his contract to secure the trilogy fight, but ESPN claim that he is likely to be paid-off in order to give up his shot at revenge.
Fury’s advisers, MTK, are negotiating terms with Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn due to an alleged ‘rift’ between the Matchroom Boxing chief and Frank Warren, who usually handles talks for the WBC champion. The talks are based on the assumption that Deontey Wilder will be unable to resist huge step aside money. However, Wilder’s adviser Shelly Finkell told ESPN that the next fight for Wilder is the third fight with Fury. Joshua’s team expect their position to change when they are presented with a massive step aside offer from the wide pool of money.
The Matchroom boss, 40, said: “We’re talking to MTK about where that fight would take place.
“At the moment, the main focus for everybody [is] the contractual situations.”The conversations between myself and MTK are that we’ve had an approach. We’ve had a number of approaches from territories to stage that fight.” Tyson Fury stopped Deontey Wilder in seven rounds last February after their initial draw at the end of 2018 in Los Angeles. The victory led to a high public interest to see Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury put all their belts on line in all British showdown. There were hopes that Wilder would step aside, but the American made it clear he would activate their contract for a rematch.
The pandemic put the rematch plans on holds but with time lost, Joshua and Fury are now determined to get the fight going this year. If a deal for the fight is made, and Wilder accepts step aside money, it will mean Wilder waits longer for his chance to regain the title he held for 5 years. Last December, Joshua regained the world titles he lost to Andy Ruiz Jnr and hoped to face Deontey Wilder to unify the division, until Fury scuppered those pans by beating Wilder.