This would suggest that Anthony Joshua's camp anticipates that he will have to part ways with his IBF heavyweight title.
Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has named the three fights he hopes to make for 'AJ' and none of them include a clash with the mandatory challenger for his IBF belt.
According to reports,
Joshua's camp lodged an exemption request to the IBF in the hope that his mandatory defence against Kubrat Pulev would be postponed until next year.
https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/864016276116647936
But Pulev doesn't seem to be in Hearn's plans whatsoever as he has named the ideal next three fights, in order, for Joshua.
"I think from a fans perspective and I call myself one of those as well, Klitschko, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, they would be the next three fights for Anthony Joshua," Hearn told
the Sun.
"There’s honestly no one that wants to see Tyson Fury return to the ring more than Anthony Joshua and myself, because that is the biggest fight in world boxing."
Fury is well on his way to shedding the weight he'd put on in his time away from the ring but the biggest stumbling block in the way of the 28-year-old's comeback remains his lack of a licence.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/865524187128938499
Last week, Fury's UK Anti-Doping hearing was delayed until later this year, meaning that it would be all but impossible for the all-British showdown with Joshua to take place in 2017.
Earlier this week, Fury seemed to reveal the date that had been selected for that fight - April, 2018.
“He’s got a long way to go, it’s great to see him training, I think the UKAD is extremely cloudy and doesn’t make sense and something’s going on there that I can’t put my finger on," Hearn continued.
“He’s got to go before the British Boxing Board of Control, he’s a long way from fighting again but he’s on the road, he’s on the horse.
“He’s back in the gym he’s getting the weight off, he seems to be committed to the sport again which is great for all of us because – yeah he’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but he’s a character, he’s a personality and that’s what drives sport."
