Eddie Hearn believes that Tyson Fury’s representatives never really wanted to make the fight with Anthony Joshua.
Just last week the WBC champion had finally announced his commitment to take on Joshua in Saudi Arabia in August, shortly before it was revealed that an arbitrator had ruled in favour of Deontay Wilder’s pursuit of a trilogy fight with Fury.
“They signed a contract to do this fight, and that was everybody,” he told the DAZN Boxing Show.
“We were told repeatedly the arbitration would not be a problem. It’s also extremely strange that an arbitrator should rule for a rematch by a specific date. The whole thing absolutely stinks.
“Are you joking? For five months I’ve worked my nuts off and you’re telling me that’s it. There’s always a way. You speak to Deontay Wilder, you speak to Saudi Arabia, you speak to us. The arbitrator said Top Rank had the right to terminate the contract since December.
“They were always determined to make [the Wilder] fight, that’s what I believe.
“You have to be a bit of an idiot to think they were ever fully committed.”
Matchroom chief Hearn said that his fighter Joshua now suspects that Fury’s team were merely stringing his side along for the publicity.
“AJ feels he was just using his name. People on their team did not want the AJ-Fury fight to happen. I don’t believe there was even a conversation about step aside.
“There was never any interest in trying to make this fight. They never made any approach, any phone calls or effort to make this fight. When I delivered this, they still had to find a way to make it not happen.
“Tyson Fury, [there were] no complaints from him. He should be kicking and screaming: ‘With the AJ fight I’m making £60 million more. You better sort this fight, sort this mess out.’
“That was the thing that p—ed me off more than anything. People were in cahoots about this process. AJ thinks the whole team just used his name for clout.”