Talks collapsed due to the timescale involved in drafting up contracts for the bout, leaving handlers at Matchroom and KMG to put the bout on the boil until Joshua comes through Eric Molina in December.
Joshua is an overwhelming favourite to retain his belt against Molina before focusing on a career-defining night with Klitschko.
A likely date for the Wembley Stadium contest would be May 20 as the most workable Saturday a week later – around the same time Froch v Groves II happened, is taken up by the Emirates FA Cup Final.
Other than that, promoter Eddie Hearn may have to consider dates in June or switching to the roof-covered Prinicipality Stadium in Wales should the Matchroom boss eye an earlier offering in April.
One thing is for certain, the fight will be a massive sell-out all on its own and could potentially have an undercard full of prospects and tickets would still be snapped up within an hour of going on sale.
But that’s not what Hearn or Klitschko’s team are about and there’s now a golden opportunity to build one of the biggest UK boxing cards in recent memory, beginning with the co-feature addition of Amir Khan v Kell Brook.
Both fighters have been talking openly about the prospect of a welterweight meeting in what would be a Wembley Stadium blockbuster all on its own. But given the fact that the venue is already eyed for Joshua v Klitschko and would only be available for one boxing event per year, putting the two contests together seems a no-brainer – rather than waiting around for another twelve months.
Those four stars headlining at the famous old stadium reeks of big money, with gate receipts having stratospheric possibilities, with the pay-per-view revenue for Sky Boxing Office superseding anything previously seen before.
US TV would certainly be on board, although probably not in a Showtime PPV capacity due to the European flavour of the event.
That certainly wouldn’t matter to all concerned, so let’s hope a trick isn’t missed and the fans get the night they deserve in the next six months on the back a less-than-stellar 2016 from top matchmakers on both sides of the Atlantic.
