Eddie Hearn EXCLUSIVE: The six-week plan to deliver Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury explained

Eddie Hearn has revealed he has six weeks to finalise a signed agreement and site for the biggest fight in boxing history. The £200million undisputed heavyweight world championship between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could be as soon as four months away, with all parties now working towards a secret target date in June.

Last summer, both fighters agreed initial financial terms on a lucrative two-fight deal, meaning both Brits are contractually obliged to an immediate rematch, expected to take place around six months after the opening bout.

The finer details of the official contract – including whose name comes first, ringwalks and who has the home dressing room – are now being negotiated and ironed out.

Hearn, who has been told to keep quiet by Top Rank chief Bob Arum, isn’t sweating though and remains self-assured that an announcement is now a matter of weeks away for the first fight this summer.

“It doesn’t have to be in June, it can be in July. The fact is, we’ve got to do two this year,” Hearn said, in an exclusive interview with Express Sport from inside the Matchroom bubble, ahead of Josh Warrington’s return to action against Mauricio Lara.

“July is the absolute latest but ultimately, I keep saying that we’re not going to finalise the site until the deal is signed but there are talks going on [regarding location] and it’s going to move quite quickly.

“The plan is that any press tour for this is going to be at the end of March or early April, so in that respect we’ve got six weeks to deliver a signed agreement and a site deal which is fine.

“So at the moment, no panic. Again it’s not ‘it happens in June or it doesn’t happen’ but for me, the ideal date would be June then November or December for the second fight.”

Before entering the bubble on Wednesday, Hearn held a meeting with Joshua at the beginning of the week and proposed the idea of a break overseas before he embarks on his gruelling 12-week camp.

But AJ, who is embracing the tranquility of lockdown, only has one thing on his mind – becoming the undisputed heavyweight king.

Hearn added: “Speaking for AJ, if you’re fighting in June, camp starts at the beginning of April.

“So, I would like him to get away and have a little rest for a couple of weeks but he don’t want to because he’s so focused on a fight and at the moment, he can’t really travel anyway without restrictions.”

Meanwhile, Fury is fast approaching a year of inactivity as he ticks over in the gym in his hometown of Morecambe, with trainer SugarHill Steward still stateside in Detroit.

While there is still no official date in place, Hearn is under no illusions that the mind games are already underway, with both fighters reluctant to lose ground in the battle for supremacy.

“I think both guys, you look at Fury as well, they don’t want to take their foot off the gas,” Hearn said with a smile.

“He’s like ‘he’s doing that, I’m doing that too’, so I think we are ready to go.

“If you turned around to them tomorrow and said ‘it’s the end of April’, they’d go straight into camp today. They’re ready. They’re basically in camp already.

“I think the next couple of weeks will be very important to start getting things over the line.”

If Joshua is to be victorious, he will have to learn to navigate Fury’s specialist, deep-rooted domain: the murky world of mind games. Two illustrious champions in the form of Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder cracked under the mental pressure enforced by the reigning Ring Magazine and WBC world champion.

Hearn admits there is no place to hide and is expecting to discover more missed calls from Fury on his lock screen, once the deal is finalised.

He added: “Sometimes I’ve woken up and it’s like 12:30pm and I’ve just seen missed call, Fury FaceTime.

“I’ve called him back a couple of times and he hasn’t picked it up. He’s just a wind-up merchant, I think it’s great. Where else are you going to get a sport like that?

“Two blokes that are about to punch each other’s head in and he’s FaceTiming me.

“The mind games are going to be a big part of this fight. That’s another dynamic. Part of the promotion, part of the build-up and part of what’s going to make this fight so big.

“I think they’ve argued over text, they’ve argued over FaceTime. It’s bizarre.”

Given the sheer magnitude of this spectacle, which serves as hope to so many during a global pandemic, the landscape beyond this super-fight remains a daunting one, particularly for those involved.

It must be remembered that Fury’s 2015 masterclass against Klitschko in Germany was the catalyst that saw him plunge into the depths of mental illness, drug addiction and alcoholism.

He’d worked his whole life for this moment and was consumed by reaching the top of the mountain. Once there, standing tall at the summit as the lineal heavyweight world champion, he was overwhelmed with a feeling of vulnerability. They somehow simply became just belts.

Fury is now rightly regarded as the people’s champion, having climbed off the canvas from the brink of suicide back to the pinnacle of the sport. This time he’s side-by-side with Joshua.

So what happens in a world where this fight is no longer a pipe dream and has been delivered? Will it mark the end of a chapter?

“Once you win those two fights, do you want to fight [Oleksandr] Usyk, do you want to fight Joe Joyce? You’ve got to really, they’re the contenders,” says Hearn, who acknowledges that there is likely to be a comedown.

“This is everything. It doesn’t get any bigger than this.

“Fury might retire after two fights but AJ is looking at five years. This will just be part of his legacy.”

Hearn also confirms that the victor is likely to vacate the WBO title for the rematch, with the governing body unwilling to give their blessing and sanction a fourth successive defence ahead of their mandatory.

Usyk and Joyce look set to square off in April for the interim world title and the undisputed champion will have 180 days to defend their belts against the winner.

But that is unlikely to happen, which is why the first meeting between Joshua and Fury is a unique, life-changing fight for the ages.

“Ultimately, the WBO will have to be vacated after the first fight,” he said.

“If they’re contracted to have two fights and the winner has got to fight the winner of Usyk vs Joyce, they’re just not going to do it.

“It’s fine because we get the undisputed first. All I want is the winner of this fight to be undisputed.

“What happens after that doesn’t matter, it’s just a rematch and another great fight. But this is what it’s all about, finding out who the best is.”

Hearn was then reminded of the advice a fresh-faced Fury gave Joshua, who had not long turned pro, during a 2013 Gloves Are Off feature for Sky Sports with Johnny Nelson, Frank Bruno and the last undisputed heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis.

“Just listen to yourself. Don’t listen to anybody else. Not one person. God forbid anything went wrong, you can’t blame them and start pointing the finger,” Fury told Joshua, as he looked him in the eyes.

“Always know that you’re the only one to blame because you made that decision. Whatever you do in life, never regret it. Ifs, buts, should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.

“Give everything while you can, when you can and leave nothing behind.”

Hearn wasted no time in admitting he was wrong about the Gypsy King but this time around, he’s sticking to his guns. His man will prevail.

He conceded: “I can’t lie to you. I didn’t think that Fury would get to this level. He’s completely proved me and everybody wrong.

“Nobody gave him a chance against Klitschko, he beat him. I thought he’d get knocked out by Wilder and beat him, twice, so he deserves massive credit.

“But I don’t think he beats Anthony Joshua. I think the way that it’s played out has been incredible.

“It’s not just the biggest fight in boxing, by the time it comes around it will be the biggest fight of all time.”