Fury defeated Wilder in February of this year to claim the WBC, The Ring and lineal titles, after the two fought a controversial draw back in 2018.
The contract for the second bout included a clause which stated that the loser could invoke a trilogy fight, which Wilder duly invoked on February 28.
The original date of July 18 for the fight was postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with October rumoured as a potential replacement.
But now both Fury and promoter Bob Arum are claiming that the contract to fight Wilder has expired, with the Morecambe-born fighter now moving on to other potential opponents.
Whilst Fury now has a clear path ahead to fight Anthony Joshua next year, Wilder’s future is much less certain.
And Hearn, whose Matchroom company act as a promoter for Joshua, says he is unsure why the fight contract was allowed to expire.
He told IFL TV:
Deontay Wilder has just vanished from the earth and just doesn’t fancy fighting anymore, or his advisers have done the worst contract in boxing history.
“It just expired. We’re in a global pandemic. You’re telling me that you’ve done a contract that doesn’t protect yourself against force majeure, and you no longer have a rematch clause because it just expired?
“I don’t believe (Wilder’s manager) Shelly Finkel would have done that, but Arum and those guys are goading them, saying ‘Goodbye, it’s expired’. And Shelly is coming out, going, ‘I hope we can do the fight’.
“Why aren’t you coming out to protect your rights? Say, ‘No, you signed the rematch, here’s the contract. We’re having it. We’ll still take it’.”
Despite the claims from Fury’s promoters, and Hearn’s comments, it appears that both Finkel and Wilder are still keen for the rematch to take place.
Finkel has stated that the duo still want to take on Fury in December, whilst Wilder’s protégé Raphael Akpejiori says that the American is raring to go should the fight be confirmed.
Speaking to WBN, Akpejiori said: “I’m just saying from Deontay’s perspective he is ready to go for December.
“I’m not involved in the politics or anything but one thing I know from Deontay is he is ready to go in December. Deontay is expecting Wilder-Fury in December, I’m just saying what Deontay is expecting.
“He is expecting Wilder-Fury in December, that’s what he’s been told and that is what he is training for and he’s ready to go.”