Frank Warren says he would be “disappointed” if Deontay Wilder 42-1-1 (41) exercised his option for an immediate rematch with newly crowned WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 30-0-1 (21).
Wilder, 34, was dismissed in seven one-sided rounds by the 31-year-old Brit in Las Vegas on Saturday night, but the fight contract contained a clause allowing for the loser to call for a return bout.
The American’s team have already indicated their intention to step straight back in the ring with Fury.
Warren says he would rather see Fury unify the green belt with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Anthony Joshua 23-1 (21).
“I prefer to go straight to Joshua, but that is the contract,” he said on BBC Radio 5 live.
“It has to be honoured unless we can reach some accommodation for him to step aside. We could pay him to step aside if he wants to do that, but that is his choice.”
Last weekend’s fight was in itself a rematch of the controversial draw between Wilder and Fury in Los Angeles in December 2018.
Second time around Fury dominated Wilder dropping him in the third and fifth rounds before forcing his corner to throw in the towel 1:39 after the halfway point of the fight.
Wilder has 30 days from the fight to invoke the rematch clause.
Warren believes the former champion’s decision will be based both on the money he can make and a genuine belief that he can defeat Fury.
“It’s a bit of both,” Warren said. “It would be lucrative for him, but I have spoken to his manager and Deontay does believe he has the beating of Tyson and he can knock him out. I don’t believe that. I fancied Tyson to stop him before the fight at the weekend.
“If he insists on the fight, we’re locked into it.”
Despite Joshua having two mandatory title defences due this year – Kubrat Pulev and Oleksandr Usyk for the IBF and WBO respectively – Warren is confident the fight can get made before the end of 2020.
“I want it before the end of the year, provided Anthony Joshua does not get defeated by anyone else,” he said.
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