Hearn: Right Now Joshua vs. Klitschko More Likely Than Parker

By Edward Chaykovsky

Promoter Eddie Hearn is feeling more confident of IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17KOs) taking on Wladimir Klitschko instead of Joseph Parker on November 26th in Manchester.

Klitschko (64-4, 53KOs) was scheduled to face Tyson Fury in a rematch for the IBO/WBO/WBA world titles on October 29th, also in Manchester. The fight fell through when Fury withdrew with a mental condition. Now the boxer has tested positive for cocaine in a random drug test - and he may get stripped of his titles with all of the controversies and inactivity since last November.

Parker (21-0, 18KOs) is the mandatory challenger to Joshua's world title. He was back in action on Saturday, knocking out Alexander Dimitrenko in three rounds.

When discussing which opponent was more probably for the November date, Hearn said it's a "60-40" probability in favor of Klitschko.

Hearn told Sky Sports: "Percentage wise, I think it's 60-40 yes, something like that. Klitschko wants the fight, AJ wants the fight. That's always a great sign. For Klitschko, sometimes it's not necessarily about the money. It's little things of principle. He's made plenty of money and half a million to him doesn't mean a row of beans but something in the contract might be very important to him away from home.

"I'm confident and I think it's the fight to make. Boxing is all about timing. Charles Martin came up and it was before our time. Now we've got Klitschko before Joshua's time. It's one or two fights before the plan but it's here and available. I always say to Joshua: 'You'll tell me. If you can beat Klitschko then we've got to take the fight.' He says to make the fight. He's so relaxed and will fight anyone. It's a huge fight and it's going to be the biggest fight in British boxing history, I think."

Regarding Parker, he has a lot of options. If Fury gets stripped, he is ranked in the top position under the WBO, and his team has already reached out to Top Rank to discuss a fight with number 2 ranked challenger Andy Ruiz - if Fury gets stripped, as the WBO will order the two highest available contenders to fight for the vacant belt.

Hearn added: "Parker is No 1 in the IBF and No 1 in the WBO. Obviously, we've had some great chats with their team and it's a fight that can be made but I don't whether they'll be thinking to fight Joshua for the IBF or waiting to see what happens with the WBO. Will they fight Andy Ruiz? Maybe Wladimir Klitschko is talking to them as well. Our priority at the moment is to fight Klitschko for all the belts. Once we get a deal in place, which I'm confident of, then it's a case of going to the governing bodies and asking if they want it for their world title. I would think most would say 'yes please.'

"Parker has an interesting proposition. Does he hang tight? Does he wait? Does he take the fight with Joshua if we don't fight Klitschko? There are so many different connotations as always in boxing."