ANTHONY JOSHUA believes Tyson Fury 'never wanted to fight him' according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.
And the Matchroom boss believes the end result of Fury facing Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight was 'intentional'.
The two Brits had reportedly agreed to an undisputed clash for August, with Saudia Arabia the chosen location.
But Wilder had not given up hope of getting a rematch against Fury despite being battered by the Gypsy King in February 2020.
He insisted there was a trilogy clause in the contract – and an appeal court in the US agreed with the deposed WBC champ.
The two will fight on July 24.
Joshua has now been left scrabbling for an opponent – with former undisputed cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk the most likely opponent.
Speaking to DAZN, Hearn said: "I think it was pretty intentional. AJ felt that Fury never wanted to fight.
"I don't particularly trust people on that side. Some people couldn't let that fight happen. They wanted to keep some kind of control.
"When they say, they might want (the fight] in December, who knows?"
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Hearn was ringside as Devin Haney defender his WBC lightweight title with a unanimous points win against Jorge Linares.
Meanwhile, Fury has been tipped to KO Wilder in the FIRST round – by the Gypsy King's son.
Prince Fury featured in his dad's Instagram stories on the weekend to deliver his verdict on the upcoming bout.
When asked by Tyson, 32, how the fight would turn out, the eldest of five gave a stark warning to Wilder.
He replied: "You're gonna knock his teeth out.
"Knockout, first round… Bam! Right hand."
Fury posted the clip online, adding the line 'teeth all over the ring' ahead of the July 24 bout.
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