Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua in huge doubt as promoter urges caution ahead of Wilder fight
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are on course to face one another later this year in a mega-money heavyweight title unification fight.
Tyson Fury's American promoter Bob Arum has urged boxing fans to pump the breaks on a heavyweight title unification fight with Anthony Joshua, insisting the bout is far from guaranteed to happen. The long-awaited Battle of Britain is within touching distance following Fury's stunning seventh-round TKO victory over Deontay Wilder last month, which saw him claim the WBC heavyweight title.
Immediately after Fury ended Wilder's five-year reign atop of the WBC heavyweight rankings, attention turned to a unification bout with Joshua, who is currently in possession of the unified heavyweight titles.
All that remains for Joshua vs Fury to come to fruition is for the pair to win their upcoming bouts, which will see them take on Kubrat Pulev and Wilder.
Arum is keen to make the biggest fight in boxing history and firmly believes both Joshua and his Matchroom counterpart Eddie Hearn are also eager for the bout to happen.
The veteran promoter, however, is adamant the fight is by no means guaranteed, insisting both Pulev and Wilder could both throw a spanner into the works.
JUST IN: Eddie Hearn likened to Donald Trump by Tyson Fury promoter
Before we jump in and start talking about a Fury-Joshua fight, we have to examine where the other two fighters stand in this mix
In an interview with IFL TV, Arum said: “I have no doubt that Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn would look forward to making a fight against Tyson Fury.
"Now again, there are other fighters involved. You have Pulev. Will that fight happen or not happen, that has to be worked out.
"You also have Deontay Wilder, who up until February 22nd, who was considered the most dynamic heavyweight champion of our time, if not all time.
"Remember everyone was saying, ‘Nobody can punch as hard as Deontay Wilder.’ Maybe that’s true. Wilder has a lot to say about it.
DON'T MISS
Anthony Joshua called out Tyson Fury following his KO win vs Klitschko
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev postponed due to coronavirus outbreak
"He has a contract for a rematch [with Fury]. So before we jump in and start talking about a Fury-Joshua fight, we have to examine where the other two fighters stand in this mix."
Should both Joshua and Fury come out of their respective bouts unscathed, Arum doesn't see any reason why the pair, 30 and 31 respectively, won't share the ring later this year.
He added: "Let’s assume Joshua beats Pulev, and Fury fights Wilder again and beats him.
"Then I don’t think it would be very difficult to get everybody together in a room and work this out and have a unified champion."
Joshua is currently scheduled to defend his unified heavyweight titles against Pulev on June 20 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A date for Fury's third showdown with Wilder has yet to be announced, although the pair are expected to renew their rivalry in Las Vegas.
Both fights, however, could end up being postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has led to the cancellation of several sporting events around the globe and entire cities to be put on lockdown.
A contingency plan for Joshua vs Pulev is already in place, with Matchroom planning to move the bout to July 25 in case the contest ends up being delayed.