Eddie Hearn, promoter for WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, sees a window of opportunity with the recent developments in the heavyweight division.
New broke on Tuesday that the WBC title rematch between champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury is off for now.
The two fought to a draw in December and were negotiating a rematch. But WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said Tuesday he received confirmation from Fury that the challenger would look elsewhere for his next bout.
"Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury is officially not happening next," Sulaiman tweeted. "The WBC Boxing has received communications as our process, and while WBC Champion Wilder confirmed its willingness to fight the rematch, Fury will take on another fight with expectations to do rematch at a later date."
Wilder is now expected to take on Dominic Breazeale, who is the next mandatory WBC challenger.
Joshua will take on Jarrell Miller in June in New York.
Wilder (40-0-1) floored Fury (27-0-1) in the ninth and 12th rounds on Dec. 1, yet Fury outboxed Wilder for large portions of the remainder of their showdown at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Fury looked finished when Wilder put him flat on his back with two minutes left in the fight, but he rose and made it to the bell.
Judge Robert Tapper scored the fight 114-112 for Fury, while Alejandro Rochin favored Wilder 115-111. Judge Phil Edwards had it 113-113.
The rematch appeared to be close to a deal - when Fury unexpectedly signed a co-promotional agreement with Top Rank and ESPN. Wilder is contracted to Premier Boxing Champions, who have content deals with Showtime and Fox Sports.
Because of the new network hurdles, Hearn believes Wilder should forget about Fury and instead focus his energy on fighting Joshua.
“It’s disappointing for everyone but possibly good for us,” Hearn told Yahoo Sports of Fury’s decision to skip the immediate rematch. “If I’m Deontay Wilder, I get on the phone and make the AJ [Anthony Joshua] undisputed fight as soon as possible.”