A fight between heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder is still a possibility in the future, according to the British star's promoter, Eddie Hearn.
Wilder has been away from the ring since February 2020, when he was stopped in seven rounds by Tyson Fury at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Joshua was in action back in December, when he retained his WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO world titles with a knockout of mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.
There are now ongoing negotiations to finalize a two-fight series between Joshua and Fury.
The first Fury-Joshua encounter would land on a date in June or July, with the rematch taking place before the end of the year.
A few years ago, when they were both undefeated champions, Joshua tried his best to secure a unification with Wilder, who ultimately rejected the Brit's proposal.
Hearn is willing to entertain Wilder as a potential opponent for Joshua - but not until next year - and only if the fight makes sense.
"If it's the right fight for AJ, not stylistically, but if it's the right commercial fight. Listen, Deontay Wilder knows he turned down the deal of a lifetime to fight Anthony Joshua, but he made his bed and respect to him. I want to see him back in the ring," Hearn said to Sky Sports.
"All we're focusing on is the Tyson Fury fight, and anything else happens in 2022, because those two fights will be our plan for 2021."
In the meantime, Hearn is very interested in matching Dillian Whyte against Wilder.
But in order to get there, Whyte will have to overcome Alexander Povetkin in their upcoming rematch on March 6th.
Last August at Matchroom's Fight Camp in Brentwood, Povetkin brutally knocked out Whyte in the fifth round.
"For me, I would like to see Dillian Whyte fight Deontay Wilder, but he has to deal with Povetkin," said Hearn.
"Focus on the now, focus on the reality, and Deontay Wilder, I'm sure he'll be in big fights but for us, we know our plans [with Joshua] for 2021."
