Hearn: Joshua will sign Wilder contract for April 13

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn tells Sky Sports that his side is ready to move forward with an undisputed heavyweight title unification with Deontay Wilder, one that would take place next spring in the U.K.

Joshua is currently expected to make a mandatory title defense against Alexander Povetkin on September 22 in the interim, although that fight has not yet been formally announced.

“I spoke to Anthony yesterday and I think what we’re going to do is all the terms that were agreed by Deontay Wilder have now been put into the contract. They’ve had them now for over a month, and they haven’t done anything, so I think what we’re going to do, we’re going to sign the contract.

”Anthony Joshua says let’s sign the contract and put it in front of them, rather than them thinking that we’re bluffing for some bizarre reason, or we don’t want the fight.”

Obviously there’s some promoter spin going on here, but a spring fight between Joshua and Wilder is probably the best we can hope for at the moment, although most of us wanted the fight sooner than that. But that’s boxing for ya — why do today what you can do sometime next year?!