Friday 3 July 2015 08:37, UK
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has hinted he may make a purse bid for Wladimir Klitschko v Tyson Fury.
The 39-year-old Klitschko (64-3-0-KO53) currently holds the WBA, WBO and IBF world titles but with the deadline for agreeing terms with mandatory WBO challenger Fury on Monday, Hearn has confirmed he is considering travelling to Panama for the resulting purse bidding.
Hearn told Sky Sports: "It's a big fight for the world heavyweight title involving a Briton and a great champion in Wladimir Klitschko. There is a purse bid in Panama and maybe we'll be on the plane to put a bid in ourselves.
"When a fight is made for a mandatory defence, and Tyson Fury is that mandatory challenger, you get a period of time when the two parties' promotional teams can privately negotiate terms. Once that period is up, if terms haven't been agreed, it goes to a purse bid.
It's a big fight for the world heavyweight title involving a Briton and a great champion in Wladimir Klitschko.
"When you're not really aligned with a broadcaster - someone like a Tyson Fury - you can sit back and let it go to purse bids and see who wants to pay the most money. It's quite a unique situation and everybody will turn up with an envelope and the governing body will read out the bids. Whoever pays the most, gets the fight.
"Germany isn't our market so we'd be looking to stage that fight in the UK. It's a big fight but they could agree terms by Monday. This is the time with a few days to go that the pressure is really on. If they don't agree terms, then I'm sure there will be some interesting bidders.
"We'd look at September or October time. The deadline for that fight is October 24. Obviously Fury is from Manchester. It's a great O2 Arena fight as well. There's been plenty of talking about it happening outdoors.
"Of course I've thought about bidding. We'll have the paperwork ready to go but probably until Monday morning, we won't think that the bidding is going to go ahead because like I said, this deal can be done at any time. If the purse bids go ahead, I'm sure we'll be there.
Tyson Fury is a quality young fighter but he hasn't been in with the quality of Klitschko. People struggle with Klitschko's size but Fury has size advantage over Klitschko.
"Tyson Fury is a quality young fighter but he hasn't been in with the quality of Klitschko. People struggle with Klitschko's size but Fury has size advantage over Klitschko and is very unorthodox. He's also unusual in his approach and tactics - Peter Fury is a very bright man. He's got a chance in the fight.
"I hope Fury wins. That would open the door for huge fights in the division with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder so I'd love to see him do it. On paper, I don't think he does but I rate him and I certainly think he has a shot in the fight."
On the future of British heavyweight knockout artist Joshua, who has accounted for all 13 of his professional opponents to date inside three rounds or less, Hearn added: "I'd like to see Joshua challenge for the world heavyweight title in the next 12 months.
"Probably this time next year we'll see him involved in, if not world title fights, fringe 'elite' fights. He's got people to deal with domestically and you've got to understand that he wants to go through everybody."
