Tyson Fury is likely to be stripped of his world titles, paving the way for Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko, believes Eddie Hearn.
WBA Super and WBO world heavyweight champion Fury (25-0-KO18) recently withdrew from his scheduled rematch with Klitschko due to health issues and promoter Hearn, who represents IBF king Joshua (17-0-KO17), says talks over his fighter stepping in to face the Ukrainian have begun.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: "Yes, I do [think Fury will be stripped]. It's been nearly a year since he's boxed. The governing bodies want that belt to be active so over the next couple of weeks, the contenders will be putting pressure on the governing bodies.
"We don't know how long Tyson will be out of the ring for. We wish him well, of course, but the sport has to go on and the governing bodies will want to get those belts active as soon as possible.
"It's a difficult situation for him. He needs to get the right treatment and help. I guess they can't put a time on when he'll be back in the ring and I think that's one of the problems. If it was a straight-up injury then they could say, but he clearly needs some time away from the sport.
"In the meantime, there won't be much compassion from the governing bodies and I think they'll move on, put the champion in recess and move forward with the belts.
"When Tyson is ready to fight again, we'll all hopefully welcome him back into the sport. He's great for the sport and has one of the biggest wins of all time. I want him in the division, Anthony Joshua wants him in the division. Everybody does because those big fights are out there.
"Hopefully he gets well soon and we'll see him back in the ring soon but the show must go on and I think the governing bodies will be looking to act quickly."
Fury was quickly stripped by the IBF in the wake of the glorious victory over Klitschko in November 2015; leaving Joshua to seize that strap by annihilating Charles Martin in April. The Londoner could now be set to fight for at least one more title confiscated from his compatriot.
Hearn said of the possibility of Joshua v Klitschko taking place on November 26: "It's a natural fight. On Saturday, we reached out to Berndt Boente and since then we've had a couple of positive conversations and it's a fight he really wants.
"If the WBA belt is on the line, which I believe it would be, then it's a unification fight between Joshua and Klitschko. The deal has got to be right, of course. We've got Joseph Parker as a mandatory which is also a good fight if Klitschko doesn't happen.
"I'm confident. I don't want to get the fans too excited about the fight but I know Anthony wants the fight and Klitschko is up for it as well. It's likely to be Klitschko against someone for the WBA title so the Joshua fight is very exciting."
Fury's trainer and uncle, Peter Fury, has dismissed the idea of the champion being stripped and told Sky Sports Boxing his nephew will conquer his health problems and return to the ring.