Anthony Joshua’s eagerly-anticipated showdown against Deontay Wilder may now not happen later this year, promoter Eddie Hearn has warned.
A potential shift in boxing in Saudi Arabia has been attributed as the major stumbling block currently threatening to scupper the fight initially set for this winter.
The new Saudi management, Skill Challenge Entertainment, are the organisation responsible for staging Tyson Fury’s crossover fight against Francis Ngannou.
And seemingly, Hearn is concerned that the company may instead be leaning toward similar hybrid match-ups, such as Fury’s bout in Riyadh on October 28.
Should a deal for Joshua to take on Wilder fail to materialise in the near future, Hearn has instead named two other potential opponents for the heavyweight.
Anthony Joshua’s expected showdown against Deontay Wilder now looks to be in doubt
Wilder was set to take on Joshua in Saudi Arabia this year but talks have progressed slowly
Eddie Hearn has warned a change in Saudi boxing management could now scupper the bout
‘If we don’t get that sorted soon, you’ll probably see AJ fight [someone else] in December,’ Hearn told Boxing King Media.
‘Firstly, Prince Khalid [bin Abdulaziz] have been great partners with us and great friends. I’m sure we’ll work with that new entity as well.
‘You saw yesterday they throw a lot of money in these things and make some noise.
‘For us, we’ve agreed to terms for Joshua and Wilder, but until we receive a contract, the fight’s not happening.
‘Everybody has agreed to terms, but until the money is put in place, the fight’s not happening.
Joshua will likely fight again regardless, with Hearn eyeing up another scrap for December
Andy Ruiz Jnr (left), who beat Joshua in 2019, has been touted as a possible next opponent
‘There’s a movement in management and ownership of boxing in Saudi, and it’s up to them what they want to do.
‘If they don’t want to do Joshua-Wilder, maybe it goes somewhere else, but it’s one of the biggest fights in heavyweight boxing.’
Filip Hrgovic and Andy Ruiz Jnr have been touted as likely next foes for Joshua, though any fight is expected to take place outside of the UK.
Asked about possible next rivals for Joshua, Hearn said: ‘Filip Hrgovic, Andy Ruiz, I don’t know. It needs to be a step up, but it will probably take place outside of the UK.
‘He just boxed two fights at the O2 in three months, four months.’