Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua: Saudi Arabia and two other countries bid to host £250m clash

According to ESPN, the biggest fight in the history of British boxing is potentially on course to land in Saudi Arabia or “elsewhere” in the Arabian Peninsula.

Hearn, however, has revealed a further two countries have expressed an interest in hosting the long-awaited Battle of Britain.

During an appearance on Sky Sports, The Matchroom Boxing chief said: “We have had enquiries from territories asking to stage that fight.

“Ourselves and Furys MTK Global have been in discussions to look at those offers and when this fight might take place.

“We were looking to fight in June, Fury-Wilder in July, and we all planned to make this fight in December.

“Now, could we go straight into the December fight? Will we have a live audience in December?”

Before serious negotiations can get underway, both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury must get out of their contractual obligations to face Kubrat Pulev and Deontay Wilder.

Anthony Joshua, 30, is tentatively scheduled to defend his unified heavyweight titles against the Bulgarian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 25.

Tyson Fury, meanwhile, is slated to defend his WBC crown against Wilder – whom he emphatically dethroned in February – in Las Vegas in October.

Despite the difficulty and expenditure it’ll take for Pulev and Wilder to sit on the sidelines, Hearn is optimistic about an agreement being reached.

“As it stands now Joshuas next fight is Pulev and Furys next fight is Wilder,” he continued. “Could a deal be struck for them to step aside? Absolutely.

“Would we be willing to entertain it? Absolutely.

“There is keenness from our side and Furys side to go straight into it. But we are both under contract for different fights.”

Hearn has poured cold water on the notion of serious negotiations being underway, insisting talks can’t commence until both Pulev and Wilder agree to stand down.

He said: “No negotiations have taken place. Negotiations cant take place until we know if Wilder will step aside and if Pulev will step aside.”

News of Fury’s representatives reaching out to Hearn came shortly after the lineal heavyweight champion’s promoter Bob Arum refused to rule out the prospect of ‘The Gypsy King’ fighting ‘AJ’ before Wilder.

“Everything is possible,” Arum told Sky Sports.”We are all operating in territory where nobody has experience. I’m 88 but I’ve never had the experience to deal with this. We’re feeling our way.

“But everything is possible and nothing is off the table. We have to sit and discuss this, to figure out how to move into the future. I can’t predict when Fury vs Wilder will take place or if it will happen.

“Everybody in the UK wants to see the two Brits fighting, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. When can that happen? I don’t know.

“With or without audiences, we can’t do [the third fight] while Tyson Fury can’t get back into the United States due to the travel ban. Wilder couldn’t get into England either.”