Eddie Hearn has urged WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to avoid a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder and instead face Anthony Joshua in a mouth-watering unification bout – only to be immediately rebuked by Dillian Whyte, who also boxes under the Matchroom banner.
Fury produced a stunning performance of patience and power to stop Deontay Wilder in the seventh round to finally win the WBC world heavyweight title.
Fourteen months on from his controversial draw with Wilder – when he outboxed the champion only for two knockdowns to deny him the famous green belt – Fury had vowed to take the fight to the American.
He did just that, flooring the champion twice and completely dominating the action before Wilder’s corner threw the towel in to save the despairing, bewildered champion from more punishment.
Wilder immediately called for a second rematch after his first professional defeat, but Hearn clearly has very different plans.
“No need for a third let’s go straight to it in the summer,” he tweeted, along with the hashtag “Undisputed”. A bout between Fury and Joshua could potentially see the WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and lineal heavyweight titles all on the line.
However, Hearn’s tweet quickly attracted the attention of rival heavyweight contender Whyte. “How about doing what’s right and forcing him to fight me first as number one challenger,” he tweeted in reply.
Whether Fury will fight either Joshua or Whyte next remains to be seen and, after the fight, he suggested a third fight with Wilder could once again take place in Las Vegas, at the new Oakland Raiders stadium.
