Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has said that he believes Tyson Fury will be stripped of his world titles after he pulled out of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko due to health reasons.
The WBA Super and WBO champion was declared "medically unfit" to compete at the rematch in Manchester at the end of October, and Hearn is now keen to see his client Anthony Joshua take on Klitschko instead.
"Yes, I do [think Fury will be stripped]," Hearn told Sky Sports News. "It's been nearly a year since he's boxed. The governing bodies want that belt to be active so over the next couple of weeks, the contenders will be putting pressure on the governing bodies. We don't know how long Tyson will be out of the ring for. We wish him well, of course, but the sport has to go on and the governing bodies will want to get those belts active as soon as possible.
"It's a difficult situation for him. He needs to get the right treatment and help. I guess they can't put a time on when he'll be back in the ring and I think that's one of the problems. If it was a straight-up injury then they could say, but he clearly needs some time away from the sport.
"When Tyson is ready to fight again, we'll all hopefully welcome him back into the sport. He's great for the sport and has one of the biggest wins of all time. I want him in the division, Anthony Joshua wants him in the division. Everybody does because those big fights are out there."
Hearn went on to admit that he has already held preliminary discussions with Klitschko's team about the possibility of staging a fight on November 26.
Neil Wilkes
