Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn has warned Deontay Wilder that if he takes too long to sign the contract to fight Anthony Joshua, then the Brit could fight Alexander Povetkin next, according to a report on the Metro.

Wilder accepted an offer to fight Joshua in the United Kingdom last week and Hearn was quick to send a contract to the American, who hasn’t signed it yet.

Joshua and Hearn are becoming increasingly frustrated with the antics of Wilder, with Hearn still not convinced that he is serious about fighting Joshua because if he was, he would have signed the contract immediately.

When speaking about the situation, Hearn said:

They [Anthony Joshua and his trainer] want to get moving. They boxed March 31, so he’s had a nice break. They would like to know, they would like a decision.

Of course, he wants the Wilder fight. He wants to be the undisputed champion, but if it’s going to be slow-tracked, if people are going to mess around, if it’s going to drag on, they would rather jump in and say okay, let’s go end of September with Povetkin.

Povetkin is Joshua’s WBA mandatory challenger and is certainly a dangerous man to face due to his power, but Joshua is expected to overcome the challenge if they do come face to face.

Joshua has no problem with fighting Povetkin first and then facing Wilder early next year, but he would prefer to win the WBC belt in September.