Anthony Joshua has made it clear that he would not accept any offer from Tyson Fury's team to step aside and let the Gypsy King fight Oleksandr Usyk.
The debate around who Fury's next opponent will be is continuing, with Eddie Hearn sharing the demands Joshua would require in order to step aside.
Fury had been keen for a heavyweight unification bout but hopes of clashing with Joshua early next year were shattered following his fellow Brit's heavy defeat to Usyk in September.
Joshua has since exercised a rematch clause with the Ukrainian, pushing any unification bout further into the horizon.
Despite hinting that he'd be prepared to step aside if the money offered was right, Joshua's camp then made it clear when approached that he would not be willing to do so.
Joshua's camp completely shut down the offer once promoter Hearn presented him with the opportunity, his management team have revealed.
David KD Ghansa of Joshua’s management team told talkSPORT: "In complete honesty, me and Eddie have had conversations with Freddie [Cunningham, Joshua’s manager] and a few of the other guys.
"The day that we actually slightly put it to him, we got shut down – it was a complete shutdown.
"AJ knows that, as a management team, we are going to explore all options for him. But the main thing is that he is focused on putting right what he needs to.
"As a management team, we are exploring all the best options and we will put them to him. Ultimately it will be his decision, but he has not entertained it the way it is out there as being entertained.
"So personally from him, I don’t even think we finished that conversation on it, so Usyk."
With Joshua fully focused on avenging his loss to Usyk, he could find himself with a shot to face Fury next year should he defeat the Ukrainian.
Fury's team are currently in negotiations with Dillian Whyte's camp after the Londonder was named as mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight belt.
