Eddie Hearn thinks that a potential fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder could be pushed back well into 2024.
Wilder and Joshua have been linked to an event in Saudi Arabia where they would feature as one half of an event where Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk would be the other main event.
However no date has been finalised, and it appears as if talks for Wilder to face Andy Ruiz have fallen through, so the "Bronze Bomber" may not be available any time soon.
Speaking to IFL TV, Hearn suggested that Joshua may look for another opponent in December as a result.
He said: "Talks are ongoing. We are still in the same position of a January fight. If we don't conclude that fight and they about moving it to February or March, we will probably fight in December. Wilder is talking about fighting in October, but it's already September now.
"He will wait to fight Wilder in January. He's training now. He wants to fight in December. If they turned around and said 'let's do the Wilder fight in December' he'd do it. But everybody is talking like it's happening, but until it's happening it ain't on. Until it's on, we'll keep our options open for December. Ideally, we'd like to go straight into the Wilder fight."
Joshua fought last against Robert Helenius in August when the latter stepped in as a late replacement for Dillian Whyte, and Hearn would expect a similar calibre of fighter.
He explained: "I think you're going to end up seeing the best of him in the bigger fights. The reality is if he did have another fight it would be on the level of Dillian, Helenius... those kinds of levels.
“Would it get the best out of him? I don't think it wouldn't be beneficial [to have a third fight in 2023], but I don't think it would change the result of the Wilder fight.”