Sport

Eddie Hearn: 'Anthony Joshua would take Wladimir Klitschko fight if Tyson Fury lost belts'

Anthony Joshua is ready and willing to take on Wladimir Klitschko later this year if Tyson Fury is stripped of his title belts, promoter Eddie Hearn has said.

The heavyweight title rematch between Fury and Klitschko was cancelled for a second time on Friday night after the Briton was declared "medically unfit to fight".

That clash had been due to take place in Manchester on October 29 but Fury, whose previous attempt at a rematch with Klitschko in July was abandoned after the WBA and WBO champion sustained an ankle injury, will now undergo treatment on his condition.

It is not known how long Fury will be out for, but undefeated IBF champion Joshua - who is in line to make the second defence of his title in Manchester on November 26 - has thrown his hat in the ring to fight Ukrainian Klitschko.

However, Joshua's promoter Hearn insists their primary goal is still an all-British showdown against Fury, and hopes the 28-year-old Mancunian does not end up having his crowns taken away by the governing bodies.

Hearn told Sky Sports News: "From our side, if Wladimir Klitschko against Anthony Joshua can be made for the WBA and the IBF belts, for November 26, we are taking that fight, no question.

"But, as always in boxing it's a very complicated process, there's so much that needs to happen and I don't feel like they'll strip Tyson Fury just yet. I hope they don't, because we want the winner of that fight, Fury against Klitschko.

"We want to fight Tyson Fury really, that's a unification fight between two Brits in the heavyweight division, that's never happened before and it'll never again."

Hearn says the 26-year-old 2012 Olympic champion is not the only boxer who will be looking to push their case in Fury's absence, though.

"So we hope he gets better soon but all these other contenders now are going to be like piranhas, biting at the governing body saying 'we want to have our shot', 'we've been waiting too long'. Wladimir Klitschko will turn around and say 'hang about, for 12 months I've been waiting for my rematch and now it hasn't happened'," he said.

Hearn expects to know more in the coming week, saying the next few days could be "really interesting".

He said: "I think there's going to be a statement on Tuesday from Team Fury to see how long he's going to be out for, and that's going to be one of the defining factors in terms of the governing body making their decision on whether Fury keeps the belts.

"So hopefully he can get back in the ring soon, fight Wladimir Klitschko, but if not I spoke to AJ (Joshua) last night and said 'you know, you could jump in and fight Klitschko', and he said 'let's do it'.

"I think he believes that Wladimir Klitschko is certainly there for the taking, it's a great fight. We've got Joseph Parker, who is Anthony's mandatory, that's a great fight, which could be made for November as well.

"These next three or four days are going to be really, really interesting, breaking down the jigsaw, planning Anthony Joshua's next move, but the heavyweight division is non-stop action, non-stop news and non-stop drama, and to be honest that's boxing all over."