Promoter Frank Warren has scoffed at claims that unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has any plans to face the winner of the WBC heavyweight title fight between champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in Las Vegas on February 22.
“Tyson Fury, Wilder, Joshua – they all have their 2020 mapped out,” Warren told Metro.
“Joshua has two mandatories or he vacates a title. Tyson and Wilder fight on 22 February and the loser has the right to invoke a trilogy fight. That’s in their contracts.
“Can things change? Of course, but it’ll be expensive to do that. And I mean really expensive.
“Whatever this fight makes, Joshua will have to match it to get the loser to step aside. That will be millions upon millions of pounds. But to talk now all glib about a ‘curveball offer’ is rubbish.”
Warren believes Joshua’s competing mandatory title defences against Kubrat Pulev and Oleksandr Usyk – for the IBF and WBO respectively – will keep him tied up for much of the calendar year.
“It’s more difficult now to do a heavyweight unification fight than ever before. Wilder and Tyson are tied into two fights, Joshua has his mandatories. Joshua knows full well he’s talking nonsense,” the British promoter continued.
“Is he trying to con the public? He’s certainly playing dumb. Joshua will say anything at this stage. Why did he say he’d go spar with Tyson? He never had any intention of doing that either. These fights can be made.
“Wilder and Tyson don’t just talk about the big fights, they actually make them. Tyson will fight wherever he gets the most money.
“In his head, and my head, he’s beaten Wilder already. If he beats him again, he’d definitely want to fight Joshua, but there’s contractual commitments with Wilder.
“And Joshua has got to beat Kubrat Pulev and Oleksandr Usyk! The big concern is Joshua has been wobbled by his recent opponents.”
