Eddie Hearn, promoter for IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, views Deontay Wilder as a far more doable fight than a potential showdown with Tyson Fury.
Hearn believes there are now fare more barriers to making a fight with Fury - since the British boxer signed an exclusive deal with ESPN and Top Rank. He is also promoted by Frank Warren and has an exclusive deal in the UK with BT Sport.
Joshua has an exclusive deal in the UK with Sky Sports and he's aligned in the United States with streaming service DAZN.
Wilder, who holds the WBC world title, competes under the Premier Boxing Champions banner, who have content deals with Showtime and Fox Sports.
Pursuant to his agreement with DAZN, he is actually capable of fighting outside of their outlet - if more money is thrown down for a pay-per-view event by Showtime. But the same can't really happen with Fury, as there are more barriers involved with his exclusive deals with ESPN and BT Sport.
"There will be more barriers and confusion in the heavyweight division, but nothing that can't be sorted with a few quid. We won't let the barriers within our agreement with DAZN stand in the way of Joshua becoming undisputed," Hearn told TheSportsman.com.
"DAZN can pay more money than anyone else out there, but if it means he has to fight Wilder on Showtime, that is doable. Within Fury's deal, he can't do that so that makes him more obstructive than the others. Wilder is a free agent and doesn't have a TV deal so..."
Another issue, according to Hearn, is Fury's demand for a 50-50 split with Joshua.
"We offered Fury 60/40 but he wouldn't take it, he wants 50/50 which is quite honestly hilarious," Hearn said.
Joshua will return to the ring on June 1, when he faces Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
