Tyson Fury WILL be Anthony Joshua’s opponent of choice if restricted to one fight in 2020, confirms Eddie Hearn as heavyweight champion considers sidestepping Kubrat Pulev in favour of Gypsy King showdown as coronavirus pandemic threatens boxing schedule
- The coronavirus crisis is threatening Anthony Joshua’s next fight on June 20th
- If his Kubrat Pulev clash is postponed, it could push a Tyson Fury bout to 2021
- Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn says Joshua is prioritising a 2020 date for Fury
Tyson Fury will be Anthony Joshua‘s opponent of choice if he is restricted to one fight this year, promoter Eddie Hearn has said.
Joshua is scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20 but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means that date is likely to be moved back.
If the delays go on beyond the summer and Joshua can only fight once, Hearn says his man would want his opponent to be Fury for an all-British heavyweight unification bout.
Anthony Joshua is desperate to fight Tyson Fury and unify the heavyweight division in 2020
The fighter’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says he is willing to forgo his fight against Kubrat Pulev
A ‘Battle of Britain’ fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury would be an era defining showdown
‘We’ve got June 20 as a pencilled date for Anthony Joshua,’ he told Sky Sports News.
‘We will make a statement, potentially this week or early next week, that’s likely to be delayed, I think that’s pretty straightforward and obvious; hopefully til the end of July.
‘If it starts kicking on beyond that, you get to a situation where if Joshua is only going to box once this year he’d like it to be against Tyson Fury.’
Fury stopping Deontay Wilder in February setup the bout with his countryman Joshua
Joshua was first supposed to face Kubrat Pulev on June 20th, but that date is at threat
Fury is expected to complete his trilogy with Deontay Wilder later in 2020, having dethroned the American in February, but Hearn is hopeful some negotiations could be possible.
‘The situation is a little bit out of our hands,’ he said. ‘If Bob Arum and Al Haymon (Fury and Wilder’s promoters) can talk and make Deontay Wilder wait a little bit we would love to go into that fight next.
‘We are contractually bound to face Pulev who is with Bob Arum and there is a deal to be done. A lot depends on Deontay Wilder.’