TWIN PEAKS
Joshua-Fury to have two fights
ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury are in talks over a two-fight unification deal which could be in place before their next bouts happen.
Promoter Eddie Hearn wants their fight in December to be signed before Joshua faces Kubrat Pulev in June and Fury takes on Deontay Wilder again a month later.
The Matchroom chief held talks with Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum on Tuesday in a bid to get the framework in place.
Hearn said: “I spoke to Bob and we’ve been talking about how the deal would work.
“We’ve also said we’re willing to do the deal and sign the deal now for December, obviously subject to AJ winning and Fury winning.
“We’d also do the same for Wilder, not if he lost but if he wins the rematch, because there’s nothing else beyond that rematch. We’d be happy to do a deal with either guy to say we would be happy to do that fight in December. It’s difficult to say a deal is in place but it feels like a framework is.”
The two main issues needing to be ironed out are TV rights and where the clash will take place, and Hearn added: “The fighters will say, ‘Go and tell me what’s out there’ and there are only three options really –Wales, Saudi or Las Vegas.
“For me, any deal we do is likely to be a two-fight deal, so wherever it is the first time it won’t be the second – whether that’s one fight abroad and then back to Britain in the summer.” Hearn is expecting a contract from Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in the next 48 hours to face Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith.