George Warren insists he “has not heard anything” from Antony Joshua’s camp about a blockbuster all-British clash with Tyson Fury, as he touted Joe Joyce as a potential opponent for the WBC heavyweight champion.
Fury has been left without fight after negotiations broke down with Oleksandr Usyk about a proposed undisputed world title bout on April 29.
Joshua returned with a unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin at The O2 earlier this month, but has since announced his next fight will not take place until December.
When asked by Sky Sports News’ John Dennen whether Fury vs Joshua could happen this year, Fury’s promoter Warren said: “I don’t know the answer to that.
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Anthony Joshua says he is ‘still hanging on’ for a fight against Tyson Fury and believes the British public are demanding the heavyweight showdown
“The other side spoke a lot about wanting to reach out and contact us after the fight with Franklin; we’ve not heard anything, not had any contact, so there’s been nothing to discuss with Tyson.
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“They made it quite clear pre-Franklin fight that they wanted to maybe look at that fight for the summer. They thought maybe there was an opportunity.
“I haven’t heard from them. I haven’t had a phone call, I haven’t spoken to anyone about it. You’d have to ask them.”
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Joyce believes he is on his way to becoming world champion no matter who stands in front of him
Warren did, however, say Joyce will be “in the conversation” to fight Fury if he puts in a “devastating performance” against Zhilei Zhang on Saturday.
Unbeaten Londoner Joyce (15-0) will defend the WBO interim heavyweight title against his Chinese opponent, whose sole defeat in 26 fights came versus Filip Hrgovic in Jeddah in August.
Full WBO champion Usyk would be in Joyce’s sights if he won but Warren says Fury is also an option for the 37-year-old, who secured an 11th-round knockout of Joseph Parker in September.
Warren said: “Joe is looking to put on a good performance, a devastating performance, like he did against Parker and keep building on that momentum. If Joyce comes through a tough fight with a big performance, he puts himself in that conversation [to fight Fury].
Warren: Joyce needs his A-game against Zhang
“[Zhang] is a good fighter – Olympic silver medallist, you don’t become that by accident – [but] I fancy Joe in the fight. I think he will be destructive. He always comes to fight, he can’t help himself.
Image: Joyce will defend the WBO interim heavyweight championship against Zhilei Zhang on Saturday night
“Sometimes he gets caught with too many big shots for our liking but somehow finds a way of doing what needs to be done. He ends up steamrolling through these guys.
“I am confident but we saw off the back of the Filip Hrgovic fight – that I thought Zhang won – that he can fight. Joe has got to be on his A-game. There is a lot on the line.
“Within the next eight to nine months, Usyk is going to be called to defend – if he is still champion by then, he has to get past Daniel Dubois first. Daniel will have a lot to say.
“Who knows? We could have an all-British fight between Daniel and Joe. The holder of that full title will be called to fight Joyce or Zhang. I think Joe comes through this.
“I think there has been a lot of frustration for fans with heavyweight boxing – some fights people want to see maybe not happening. Joe is a different animal. He doesn’t say no to people.
“He is always looking for tough fights, wants to entertain and that’s what we are going to get. He wanted a challenge, that shows what sort of guy he is.”
Image: Tyson Fury and, Oleksandr Usyk's planned unification bout on April 29 fell through
Could Fury vs Usyk still happen?
When asked whether an undisputed heavyweight title clash between Usyk and Fury could be resurrected, Warren added: “Never say never. We got very close but we didn’t get it done.
“That was a disappointment not only to the British fight fans but to all in boxing, certainly those involved in trying to make the fight and the fighters themselves.
“Sometimes you just can’t get terms agreed and that’s what it was. We will revisit everything. We are going to catch up with Tyson to see what his plans are, see if he wants to fight in the summer.
“We haven’t got that answer from him yet. There were obviously big rumours about possible plays for Middle Eastern activity at the end of the year, so who knows.”
Sourse: skysports.com
