Eddie Hearn is desperately trying to fill his long-booked slot at Wembley on April 13.
Last year, Hearn doubled up and booked Wembley for two dates – 22 September, 2018 and 13 April, 2019 – in the hope of having Anthony Joshua headline two monster shows.
The first saw Joshua stop Alexander Povetkin in the seventh round of their clash last autumn and the plan for the second was to have ‘AJ’ meet the winner of last month’s Los Angeles showdown between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
The controversial split draw in California threw a spanner in the works and rumours have since emerged which claimed that Joshua may instead travel to the United States to fight Jarrell Miller or that Dillian Whyte may take the April date, while there have even been more farfetched suggestions that Wladimir Klitschko is considering coming out of retirement to return to Wembley.
One thing’s for sure and that’s that Hearn doesn’t anticipate Joshua vs. Wilder taking place next.
“Well, to say Deontay Wilder’s camp has gone quiet, that’s saying it lightly,” Hearn told Sky Sports News. “Probably up to six unanswered emails now.
WATCH! @EddieHearn admits the @BronzeBomber team are not responding to negotiations and @Tyson_Fury is a more likely opponent for @anthonyfjoshua next
📖 Read More: https://t.co/HTUaLpyv8j pic.twitter.com/4yDFHdEz9V— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 14, 2019
“In fact, I sent one a couple of days ago, saying I just want to check these haven’t gone into your Spam items.
“It is frustrating because you walk out there on the street ‘When’s he going to fight Deontay Wilder?’ It’s like, whenever they want it, but sometimes the public want to believe a fighter on Instagram all day.
“If they wanted the fight, they would talk to me. They’re not even talking to us. We’ve made offers, we’ve made percentage splits. Everything we can do, to try and make that fight.”
Hearn has now turned his attention to Fury by offering him the opportunity to determine the best heavyweight in Britain by sharing the ring with Joshua, although it’s likely that the Matchroom boss will insist upon a purse split which will not sit well with the Fury camp.
But Hearn claims he has spoken to Fury about making the ‘AJ’ fight come to fruition next and it is now up to ‘The Gypsy King’ to accept.
Hearn added: “I think right now, there’s more chance of fighting Tyson Fury. There’s a man that knows he can have this fight, if he wants it. I’ve spoken to him. He knows if he wants to fight Joshua, it can happen April 13.”
