Despite being highly vocal about being the first challenger to the unified champion, Hearn says Fury’s 100 pound plus weight gain and impending drug ruling mean a clash is off the table for the time being.
“We are desperate for that fight because AJ thinks he wins comfortably, it is a great fight and it is the biggest fight out there,” Hearn told Jim White on talkSPORT. “But we can only concentrate on AJ’s career and guiding him.
“ He (Tyson Fury) is miles away from fighting. He is in a terrible physical way at the moment. He doesn’t have a licence, he needs to go back to the board, and he is under investigation for a failed test.
“There is no one that wants to see him back more than me, but it is miles away. He is not the next fight because he won’t be ready in time.”
Joshua has two mandatory contenders waiting in the wings as Luis Ortiz (WBA) and Kubrat Pulev (IBF) both have claims to being next in line, for what is expected to be return to action for Joshua in November or December of 2017.
‘AJ’ faces being stripped of one of his belts should Hearn be unable to work out a deal with either Ortiz or Pulev, whilst Wladimir Klitschko, beaten in eleven rounds by Joshua on Saturday night, also has the option of choosing an immediate rematch.
Either way, Joshua could be a belt lighter by his 19th fight, and losing a title at this stage would set Joshua back considerably in his bid to unify all the marbles at 200 pound plus.
