Joshua’s camp announces breakthrough in talks with Wilder

Anthony Joshua’s Manager, Eddie Hearn says he is optimistic about the chances of his ward facing Deontay Wilder in a highly anticipated heavyweight unification fight later this year.The two fighters have been unable to agree terms for some time, with the Bronze Bomber instead opting to fight Tyson Fury in a thrilling split-draw – though a rematch will not happen with Wilder having a WBC-mandated title defence against Dominic Breazeale instead.

Joshua, meanwhile, fights Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden in June, though promoter Hearn is increasingly hopeful that the two will come face-to-face in November or December of 2019.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “It is very encouraging. I’m not going to say too much on it, because I don’t want to jinx anything.“But I think there’s an opportunity there for someone to be a mediator to get the fight done.

“Clearly, the relationship between Team Wilder and Team Joshua is not the best. I think this is a route that is going to be very beneficial to the making of that undisputed fight.

“It’s not just about doing a deal with Wilder, it’s about doing a deal with Joshua.“They’ve got their work cut out, but the pieces are coming together. There’s a long way to go but we’ll see where it goes.

“Now I think there’s a strategy in place that could lead us to the undisputed fight. There’s a clear desire from both sides to make the fight.”He added: ‘If an undisputed fight gets made, it will be November or December 2019. But still a couple of hurdles.”’

Wilder, along with managers Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon, met with DAZN chiefs in New York on Tuesday to discuss a potential fight with Joshua on the streaming service. Finkel told ESPN: “We did [meet] but nothing was resolved and internally we are going to continue to talk about it and then we will get back to them, but it went well.”