According to his promoter, Oleksandr Usyk is wondering if Anthony Joshua is ‘brave enough’ to agree to a fight for his world championship belts.
The May 31 deadline for the WBO champion and his Ukrainian mandatory challenger to make a deal to fight has now passed. However, there is no indication that negotiations to complete a fight have collapsed.
"We are waiting for King AJ's decision whether he is brave enough to get dethroned," Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk told Sky Sports.
Asked if any other alternatives were on the cards for Joshua, he admitted: "I have no idea at the moment. We are expecting his decision."
He had previously said: "There are no visible obstacles to the deal not to take place."
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested they may elect to vacate the belt.
Joshua is also the IBF, IBO, and WBA champion and was expected to contest Tyson Fury’s WBC and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles in an August fight in Saudi Arabia.
However, Fury was unable to escape a trilogy rematch with Deontay Wilder after an arbitration decision went against him, and the Bronze Bomber will fight Fury this July.
That change of plans meant the WBO then stepped in to hurry along with a mandatory challenger for Joshua when they had previously been content to tee up an eliminator between Usyk and Joe Joyce.