Promoter Eddie Hearn has clarified speculation that Anthony Joshua is close to accepting a £15moffer to step aside from his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk to allow Tyson Fury a shot at unification.
The 42-year-old confirmed that his fighter has indeed received an offer but that negotiations over a deal are not as advanced as some have reported.
He also stated that the money on offer is not £15m, although told the DAZN Boxing Show: “I’m not saying there’s no truth in some of the articles in terms of the process.”
Joshua’s retraction would allow Fury to take on Usyk with the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts on the line.
Furthermore, the door could open further with his scheduled fight with Dillian Whyte next month now looking ominous due to payment disagreements.
It is mooted that part of the proposed deal offered to Joshua would see the winner of the Fury-Usyk bout, which could take place in the Middle East, fight him next.
“There has been an offer, there’s been several discussions with myself,” Hearn explained. “I can’t rule it out, it’s not my job. AJ’s the boss – he will rule it out or not rule it out.
“He’s very smart about the plan. He won’t want to do it.”
Hearn insisted that Joshua “is not about the money“ and “has never ducked anyone” but hinted if the heavyweight felt like it would aid his progression, it may be an avenue he elects to go down.
He continued: “Sometimes you have to think with your head. There is a smart play here somewhere, but Anthony is not about the money.
“If the plan makes sense from a development point of view – working with a new trainer, maybe having a fight first, going into a much bigger fight – yeah, I can see the sense in it.
“But with Anthony it’s never been a case of, ‘Here’s some money, does it tempt you?’
“Because he’s not about that, he’s a throwback fighter, he’s about legacy. All he’s thinking about at the moment is beating Oleksandr Usyk.”
Regarding the contract situation, Hearn added: “There’s no contract signed, there’s a long way to go in terms of the detail.”
Hearn went on to state that the decision ultimately rests with Joshua and that so far his mindset has been totally focused on the Usyk rematch.
He said: “All he wants to do is win the world heavyweight title back. Right now he has a cast-iron opportunity to do that in a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
“So any step-aside, any other plan has to be solid.
“It’s not, ‘Yeah hopefully you get the winner,’ and then Fury fights Usyk and then Fury decides to be inactive for two years.
“He’s not out there looking for another fight, looking for a step-aside.
“He will, as always, be the one that calls the shots. He’s made it clear at the moment what that shot looks like.”
Fury has been sharing his frustration at the uncertainty of the future with his scheduled mandatory WBC fight against Whyte set for March 26.
It’s now looking increasingly unlikely that this will be the date that he steps into a British ring for the first time in over three years due to Whyte being unhappy at the proposed 80:20 purse split.
Furthermore, the deadline for an agreement to be settled for the bout passes today (Wednesday).
