Usyk vs Fury? Arum suggests Joshua can wait and fight the winner (Picture: Getty)

Bob Arum has proposed a plan for Anthony Joshua to forgo his immediate rematch with Oleksandr Usyk and instead fight the winner of a unification bout between the Ukrainian and Tyson Fury.

Joshua lost his IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles on Saturday night after an incredible performance from Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Briton and his promoter Eddie Hearn have insisted they plan to immediately activate a rematch clause with the latter suggesting a second fight could take place next February or March.

But Fury’s co-promoter Arum believes Joshua will suffer another defeat if he decides to go straight back in against the undefeated two-weight champion.

The Top Rank chief went onto suggest that Fury – should he beat Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight on 9 October – should instead fight Usyk next in a unification bout with Joshua to take on the winner at a later date for all four belts.

Plans for Joshua vs Fury are now in tatters (Picture: Getty)

Asked if he gives Joshua much of a chance in the rematch, Arum told iFL TV: ‘No I don’t. And I think Joshua would be well off if somehow he was able to take another couple of fights before the rematch with Usyk.

‘And if people were sensible, Joshua would work out an agreement if Tyson Fury is successful with Wilder, to allow Usyk to fight Tyson Fury and to have each fighter contractually agree in his next fight – whether it’s Usyk or Fury – to fight the winner.

‘That’s sensible. But again, this is boxing and promoters with egos and fighters not making in my opinion the right decision but really making fights based on emotion.’

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He continued: ‘Eddie Hearn being Eddie Hearn, who is all ego, won’t listen to something that makes sense.

‘He will push, in my opinion – which he can legally – the rematch with Usyk and that will be an additional defeat on Joshua’s record and prevent him from what I think would be a massive fight against the unified champion.

‘Usyk fights Tyson Fury, or Wilder. And [Joshua] fights the winner. And then we’re into something that the public can make sense of.

‘Now all eyes are going to be on Wilder-Fury, the winner of that fight will be accepted as the legitimate heavyweight champion – particularly should Joshua go right into an Usyk rematch, which I think is the wrong move for him.’

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