Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn wants Wladimir Klitschko bout as Tyson Fury pulls out of rematch
Boxing promoter Hearn is looking to arrange a blockbuster heavyweight showdown between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua
ANTHONY JOSHUA offered to step in for Tyson Fury to give Wladimir Klitschko his multi-million-pound superfight.
Klitschko was left in limbo as unwell Fury pulled out of next month’s rescheduled heavyweight rematch at the Manchester Arena.
Fury is believed to be suffering from severe depression, putting a doubt over whether he will fight Klitschko again.
But with Britain’s other world heavyweight champ Joshua, 26, still without an opponent for his second IBF title defence in November, promoter Eddie Hearn has offered to pit the unbeaten ace against the Ukrainian.
Hearn said: “If there is a chance of a unification fight with AJ and Klitschko, we’d be all over it. I’m guessing they have a whole lot of mess to sort but AJ is keen on the fight in November or the immediate fight after.
“If Klitschko against Joshua can be made for November 26, we are taking that fight, no question. But, as always in boxing, it’s complicated.
“I don’t feel they will strip Fury of his WBA Super and WBO belts yet — and I hope they don’t.
“We want the winner of Fury against Klitschko. We want to fight Fury, really.
“That is a unification fight between two Brits in the heavyweight division.
“That has never happened before and will never happen again. We hope Fury gets better soon.”
Fury, 28, has previously spoken openly about his mental health issues. In June he confessed: “I’m an emotional wreck, I’m the mad one. I have a screw loose in the head sometimes. I’m truthful I’m not talking stupid.
“I could wake up in the morning everything is fine and in the afternoon I could commit suicide. Special people have to be eccentric emotional fools. Special people are crazy.
“Some days I think I will retire from boxing undefeated and don’t give Vlad the rematch, other days I think I’ll fight him, knock him out. Other days I think I’ll fight him and take a dive.”
And in another interview in 2011 he admitted: “One minute I’m over the moon and the next I feel like getting in my car and running it into a wall at a hundred miles an hour.
Klitschko, 40, is happy to collide with Joshua but is sympathetic to Fury’s plight and wants revenge after losing by unanimous decision to the Mancunian in Germany last November.
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Fury was stripped of the IBF title when Klitschko triggered a rematch.
Charles Martin won the vacant belt but was KO’d in two by Joshua, who defended it two months later in June — beating Dominic Breazeale.
Mandatory challenger Joseph Parker had moved to the front of the queue.
Hearn added: “Hopefully Fury can get back soon and fight Klitchsko. If not, I spoke to AJ and said: ‘You could jump in.’
“He said: ‘Let’s do it’.
“I think he believes Klitschko is there for the taking. These next three or four days are going to be really interesting.”