Frank Warren has claimed the winner of the proposed fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder would be the “number one heavyweight in the world”.
Fury (26-0, 19 KOs) fights Francesco Pianeta in Belfast on Saturday, with Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) confirmed to be ringside. It is expected that should Fury defeat his Italian opponent to extend his unbeaten record, a fight with Wilder would be announced immediately.
IBF-WBA-WBO champion Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) was tipped to fight WBC title-holder Wilder in a unification bout, but the fighters failed to agree terms. Warren claims Joshua, 28, and his team swerved the fight, opting instead to fight Alexander Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs) on Sept. 22.
“You’ve got two guys who do actually want to fight each other, providing Tyson comes through,” Warren said. ” You’ve got the two heavyweights in Wilder and Fury who want to get it on, and whoever wins will be the number one heavyweight in the world.
“That’s not disrespectful to Anthony Joshua, they have stepped up to the plate. The fans will know that and they’re the ones who matter.”
Speaking in the build-up to Saturday’s fight, Warren also highlighted Fury’s performance against Wladimir Klitschko, saying it was more impressive than Joshua’s.
“Tyson done a better job on Klitschko than Anthony Joshua did and Klitschko was 18 months younger when he did it,” Warren added.
Fury, 30, also goaded Wilder and Joshua during his press conference Tuesday calling both fighters “bums” and once again openly challenging the pair.
His fight against Pieneta (35-4, 21 KOs) is only his second since 2015, as he continues his comeback following an extended absence from the sport.