The animosity between Deontay Wilder and the promoter of Anthony Joshua at Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, runs deep.
Both have blamed the other for stalled negotiations the last couple of years to make an undisputed heavyweight title fight between Wilder and Joshua. The dreams looked to be dashed when Joshua lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019. Hope was restored as Joshua regained the IBF, WBA (Super), and WBO titles from Ruiz in December. Just when things appeared to be on track, they got derailed when Wilder lost the WBC belt to Tyson Fury in February.
The running plan has been for Fury-Wilder 3 to occur on Dec. 19 but hasn't been made official. If Fury gets by Wilder and Joshua beats Kubrat Pulev, which also is expected in December, then Fury and Joshua have an agreement to determine the first four-belt heavyweight champion in 2021.
Beyond speaking a few days after the fight on why he lost, Wilder has been mostly incognito. He has stayed off the grid, which has led people to wonder if he may not accept the trilogy clash. Hearn feels if he doesn't battle Fury, then Wilder should step away from the sport.
"Fury doesn't want to get out of his contract for the trilogy match with Wilder," Hearn told IFL TV. "Why would he? Next to a fight with Joshua, it's the best money Fury can make, and it's a match that will help increase his popularity in the U.S. We're probably a lot freer to take the fight in December than [Fury] is. Whether that is to goad us or to challenge us, we accept that challenge to fight in December if you don't have to fight Deontay Wilder. But you do have to fight Deontay Wilder.
"If Deontay Wilder doesn't take that rematch, he should retire from boxing. What's the point? You've been a world heavyweight champion, and now you've lost, and your bum's gone. You've bottled the rematch, and he won't. He's got more about him than that. But he's worryingly quiet, isn't he?"
But what if Fury doesn't face Wilder and Joshua-Pulev falls through? Is there a chance the battle for British supremacy and all the marbles go down in 2020?
"I saw the comments about December," Hearn said. "It's all very well saying, 'Well, if that doesn't happen in December, I'll fight you now.' We will fight you in December. If the world is ready for that fight, and these offers that are coming in are legit for that period in December, then we don't have a problem going into that fight.
"But [Fury is] under contract for another fight. No, we're not under contract yet, but we have to agree to terms with Pulev now. We probably will [fight Pulev]."