Anthony Joshua is making a mandatory defense against the IBF’s top man, Kubrat Pulev, on the tentative date of December 12.
Should he win that fight, there is then the dilemma of making a mandatory defense against Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk, who must first beat Derek Chisora on October 31, is the mandatory challenger under the WBO.
Usyk has already made it clear that he accept a step aside deal in order to allow the Joshua vs. Fury unification to take place.
If Usyk stands in the way of securing a deal with Fury, then Joshua may be forced to vacate the WBO strap.
“There’s been a lot of talk about ‘give up the belt,’ but the aim for Anthony Joshua is to be the undisputed heavyweight champion. Will a belt get in the way of him fighting Tyson Fury next? Probably not. Will he vacate a belt and fight Tyson Fury next? Yes, I believe he would if he had to, but would he rather maintain all the belts? One million percent,” Hearn told Boxing Social.
“I know Tyson Fury has said, ‘I already had all the belts.’ I know, but you’ve never been undisputed. I hope that means something to people because it means a lot to Anthony Joshua if we get to a position where AJ is fighting Fury regardless of whether the WBO allows their title to be on the line.
“It’s almost like I want to go to Usyk and say, ‘Look, we’re going to vacate the title, but can we vacate it the day after the fight?’ Right now, the only way we can determine who the best heavyweight in the world is by AJ fighting Tyson Fury. No one can dispute that.
Whoever wins that fight will be number one. That’s the fight that AJ wants. Would AJ fight Usyk? One million percent. If Fury got injured or if the talks broke down, or if for some reason that didn’t get over the line, he will fight Oleksandr Usyk if he beats Chisora. But I know he wants to fight Tyson Fury.”
