According to Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua cancelled his bout with Tyson Fury in the Battle of Britain after learning that his desired date for the match would not be available.
Early this month, the heavyweight match saga came to an end after Joshua's promoter expressed his displeasure with Fury's social media outbursts on the negotiations.
Hearn wants to see his man fight Deontay Wilder in the early months of 2023, but the "Gypsy King" will now fight Derek Chisora in December.
Joshua last competed in August, whereas Fury hasn't fought since April. The dispute over Fury's preparation time contributed to the fight's cancellation, though Hearn claimed he wasn't "devastated" about it.
“It’s a very complex situation for both teams, with TV networks.
“Listen, I don’t mind saying, AJ’s just coming off a defeat, he wanted December 17, but we agreed to December 3, he would have had to get back into the gym immediately, which he was going to do.
“I don’t sit here today, as someone who represents Anthony Joshua, devastated that fight didn’t happen.
“He wanted to take it, so I was all in, but it was a very quick turnaround for him in a fight of that magnitude.”
As the talks continued, Fury hit out at Joshua’s demands for an extended period of recovery and training following his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
He stated in September: “I have November 26 at Wembley or December 3 [at Principality Stadium]. One is 11 weeks, and one is 12 weeks. If a professional athlete who’s shredded all year round can’t get himself in shape in three months, there’s a problem.”