Anthony Joshua's potential blockbuster fight with Tyson Fury is not likely to happen, according to former promoter Barry Hearn, also known as the father of Eddie Hearn.  

WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight champion Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) had looked set to defend his titles against British rival and WBC titleholder Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) in Saudi Arabia on August 14, only for that bout to be scrapped after an arbitration hearing ruled that the latter will have to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time. 

With Fury vs Wilder III taking place in Las Vegas on October 9, Joshua will instead now face Oleksandr Usyk, who was officially named the WBO's mandatory challenger in June 2019. 

But Hearn, who previously worked with 'AJ' as chairman of Matchroom Boxing before being succeeded by his son Eddie, doubts that a potential fight with Fury will ever happen in the future.

“I’m doubtful; Eddie thinks it will, but then the money that was available last time didn’t do it," he told Betfred. "I really hope we do, maybe I’m just getting old and cynical but I really just don’t believe anybody anymore.

"I listen to a load of rubbish and I am getting to the age where I just don’t want to listen to it anymore. I want to say ‘put up or shut up’. Get in the ring, give the public what they want.

"I know AJ is 100 percent there, and wants to do it tomorrow. So let’s hope Tyson Fury comes through with the same thought process as well. Best of luck to him should he ever fight Deontay Wilder as well.”

Read more: Fury vs Wilder 3: Date, Tickets, Live Stream, Betting, Venue, Location, Stats And Everything You Need To Know

Anthony Joshua

Fury's co-promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have also been blamed by Hearn for the collapse of Fury's fight with Joshua in August. 

“There is no doubt about it," the 73-year-old said. "If you have got any common sense, don’t listen to all this nonsense about ‘we’d sold £15m worth of tickets’ - you can check the inventory online.

"You don’t have to make up things like that. The British public are not idiots, they know. But listen, that is his decision and I respect his decision.

“We all want to see it so let’s hope, as the dust settles, they both have tough fights, let’s keep our fingers crossed that they both come through and then let’s hope that common sense comes back into the equation and they give the fight fans of the world what we want.

"That is all we are asking for, it is not a lot to ask, there is hundreds of millions of pounds in it for the fighters, they are never going to want for anything in the rest of their life. All that fight fans want, myself included, is to watch the fight!"

Read more: Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk: Date, Odds, Tickets, Stats, Live Stream, Card And Everything You Need To Know