Frank Warren, promoter for heavyweight contender Tyson Fury, has rubbished a recent claim by Anthony Joshua, who stated in an interview that there have been fresh discussions for a 2020 unification with WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Fury will challenge Wilder on February 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They fought to a controversial draw in December 2018.

There is a rematch clause in the contract - which calls for a third fight regardless of the outcome. Either boxer can exercise the clause.

After Joshua made his claim to Sky Sports, Warren reached out to Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel - who said there was no truth in Joshua's statements.

Joshua, in his interview, explained that he planned to present Wilder with an offer that was lucrative enough to make him shelve a trilogy fight with Fury.

"I spoke to Shelly Finkel yesterday and he denied it," Warren told Nick Parkinson.

"There's a rematch clause in the contract and the loser has the right to invoke that not long after the fight. That will determine what happens, not what [promoter Eddie] Hearn or Joshua says. It seems every time they mention these discussions they never think about the possibility of Tyson winning the fight with Wilder."

At the moment, Joshua is likely going to defend his WBA, IBO, IBF, WBO world titles against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.

Should Fury beat Wilder, Warren is very open to have his boxer face Joshua for all the titles in 2020.

But he believes Joshua's handlers, specifically promoter Eddie Hearn, will make negotiations difficult.

"I would like to see Tyson in with Joshua straight away after Feb. 22," Warren said.

"I don't think it's a difficult negotiation -- we have just seen that with two networks in the U.S. agreeing to work with each other for Wilder-Fury II. The only thing that stops it is all of the ego with Eddie Hearn. I don't see why it should be a problem at all. It's a fight for the good of the sport that everyone wants to see. As long as Tyson wins his next fight, and Joshua wins his mandatory fight next, it can happen.

"It seems like everyone is looking for reasons why it shouldn't happen. Nearly every big fight we have got over the line. The only one we didn't get was Lennox Lewis versus Riddick Bowe. Fury and Joshua are at their best, nothing is stopping it from happening except Joshua's people being afraid of their cash cow being beaten."