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Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who along with Frank Warren promotes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, says there is zero chance that Deontay Wilder will take a step-aside fee.
Wilder, who Fury stopped in seven rounds in their February rematch, has exercised an immediate rematch clause to force a trilogy fight.
Their fight was scheduled to take place in July, but the contest has since been postponed to a tentative month of October, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Eddie Hearn, who promotes unified champion Anthony Joshua, would love to see Wilder take a step-aside fee - in order for Fury and Joshua to fight in a full division showdown in 2020.
But Arum believes there is no chance of Wilder taking a sum of money to step-aside.
“Absolutely none. Wilder wants to fight Fury again. He's not indicated to us or anybody else that he would be willing to step aside. A further question is who is going to pay him to step aside? And, anyone on our staff has not even raised the possibility with us," Arum told IFL TV.
“So as far as we're concerned, we're thinking ahead to a third Fury–Wilder fight. We're Pulev's co-promoter as well and nobody has discussed with us a step-aside [payment].
“I speak with authority on this because of my relationship with Pulev and my role in Fury and Wilder, there has been absolutely no discussions by anybody about either of those guys [Wilder or Pulev] stepping aside.”
Joshua is slated to face mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in the month of July, but that date is very tentative - with the pandemic potentially pushing it back even further.