Anthony Joshua’s team are in talks over a potential step-aside deal to allow Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to battle it out for heavyweight supremacy, the Gypsy King’s promoter Frank Warren has revealed.
Joshua was outclassed by the masterful Usyk back in September, losing his unified titles via unanimous decision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Brit triggered his rematch clause a fortnight after the defeat, handing him an immediate shot at redemption in a bout Eddie Hearn expected to take place in March or April of this year.
Yet in recent weeks talk has surfaced of him stepping aside and allowing Usyk to challenge Fury, who retained his WBC strap by knocking out Deontay Wilder in October, for the undisputed crown next.
Joshua hinted as much in a recent interview with iFL TV, saying: ‘That step aside thing, it may not go with what I stand for in terms of bringing me respect, fighting the best, but it may make sense for business.’
And now Warren, Fury’s UK-based promoter, has claimed to be in discussions with team AJ about a step-aside deal.