Hearn responds to claims Anthony Joshua will accept £15m offer for Fury vs Usyk

Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn will discuss ‘a number of options’ in talks on Tuesday following claims the former world champion could accept a step-aside offer to pave the way for Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk.

After losing his IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles to Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September, Joshua activated a rematch clause to take on the Ukrainian for a second time in a bout that was slated for April.

However, the Daily Telegraph report that Joshua could now agree to a deal that would see him pocket £15million by allowing Usyk to fight WBC champion Fury first in order to crown the heavyweight division’s undisputed champion.

That arrangement could be complicated however by the presence of Dillian Whyte, who is the mandatory challenger for Fury’s WBC title. That fight has not been agreed yet however with purse bids set to be scheduled on Wednesday if the two parties cannot agree terms.

Matchroom chief Hearn plans to meet with Joshua and his management team this week to discuss their next move but insisted the end goal is still to reclaim the titles.

Hearn told Sky Sports: ‘I’m meeting with AJ and 258 management [on Tuesday] to go through plans for his next fight.

‘We have a number of proposals and options to discuss.

‘The goal remains the same of course – to re-capture the world heavyweight crown.’

Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk meanwhile has revealed there have been tentative talks over the Fury fight since last November.

And while a unification fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ remains a compelling option, he admits the Joshua rematch remains on the table until the former champion officially signs off on a step-aside deal.

‘We are in talks regarding Fury fight since November,” Krassyuk told Sky Sports.

‘And though AJ gave his consent (according to Telegraph) we still have not reached the final point in negotiations. And unless we get it – AJ rematch remains the basic option for us.’

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