<p> Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn says a deal for his man to fight Tyson Fury in an all-British world heavyweight unification bout in 2021 could take as little as two days to complete.</p>.<p>Plans for a "Battle of Britain" have accelerated after Joshua, 31, stopped Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round at Wembley Arena on Saturday to retain all three of his belts.</p>.<p>Fury, the self-styled "Gypsy King", took to social media after Pulev was knocked out, saying he would knock out his fellow British heavyweight "inside three rounds".</p>.<p>An agreement in principle for Joshua, who retained his WBA, WBO and IBF belts, and WBC champion Fury for two meetings in 2021 has been in place since earlier this year.</p>.<p>Asked how long it would take to complete a deal, Hearn replied: "A couple of days.</p>.<p>"There is no reason we cannot complete the deal and then move on and solve the other problems.</p>.<p>"We need to write to the governing bodies and say 'yes we have a deal' and we will now talk to the various sites and confirm the dates shortly for what I suppose will be the end of May."</p>.<p>There are some potential stumbling blocks, including if Fury is forced to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time and Joshua could be told by the WBO to face mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk.</p>.<p>But Hearn insisted: "The only hitch I can think of is Wilder. If the court order the Fury rematch, and it doesn't sound as though they will, then it is out of our hands.</p>.<p>"That is the only way it falls through is if something stops their side. That isn't me saying they don't want it -- they do. But if the court orders it then we will have to fight Usyk."</p>.<p>Matchroom promoter Hearn disputed Fury's gung-ho assessment of his chances, saying Joshua would knock him out.</p>.<p>"AJ got hit once maybe with a right hand (against Pulev), that was about it," he said. "Fury and Pulev probably punch as hard as each other, Fury is not a devastating puncher, but he is a lot better than Pulev.</p>.<p>"It is an undisputed fight, it should be the toughest fight out there, but I've always fancied him to beat Tyson Fury, always."</p>.<p>Fury has revealed he has asked his lawyers to help remove him from the BBC's sports personality of the year shortlist.</p>.<p>The heavyweight champion said he asked "politely" when he posted an Instagram message earlier this month.</p>.<p>But he has now taken further steps to be removed from the list of contenders and instructed his lawyers to send a letter to the BBC.</p>.<p>Fury's previous appearance on the shortlist in 2015 caused controversy, with more than 100,000 people signing a petition calling for the boxer's removal over a series of outspoken comments on homophobia and abortion.</p>.<p>But in 2018 Fury's omission from the final list, following his draw against Wilder, drew criticism from the boxer's camp.</p>.<p>This year's shortlist also includes Formula One world champion, world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.</p>
<p> Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn says a deal for his man to fight Tyson Fury in an all-British world heavyweight unification bout in 2021 could take as little as two days to complete.</p>.<p>Plans for a "Battle of Britain" have accelerated after Joshua, 31, stopped Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round at Wembley Arena on Saturday to retain all three of his belts.</p>.<p>Fury, the self-styled "Gypsy King", took to social media after Pulev was knocked out, saying he would knock out his fellow British heavyweight "inside three rounds".</p>.<p>An agreement in principle for Joshua, who retained his WBA, WBO and IBF belts, and WBC champion Fury for two meetings in 2021 has been in place since earlier this year.</p>.<p>Asked how long it would take to complete a deal, Hearn replied: "A couple of days.</p>.<p>"There is no reason we cannot complete the deal and then move on and solve the other problems.</p>.<p>"We need to write to the governing bodies and say 'yes we have a deal' and we will now talk to the various sites and confirm the dates shortly for what I suppose will be the end of May."</p>.<p>There are some potential stumbling blocks, including if Fury is forced to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time and Joshua could be told by the WBO to face mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk.</p>.<p>But Hearn insisted: "The only hitch I can think of is Wilder. If the court order the Fury rematch, and it doesn't sound as though they will, then it is out of our hands.</p>.<p>"That is the only way it falls through is if something stops their side. That isn't me saying they don't want it -- they do. But if the court orders it then we will have to fight Usyk."</p>.<p>Matchroom promoter Hearn disputed Fury's gung-ho assessment of his chances, saying Joshua would knock him out.</p>.<p>"AJ got hit once maybe with a right hand (against Pulev), that was about it," he said. "Fury and Pulev probably punch as hard as each other, Fury is not a devastating puncher, but he is a lot better than Pulev.</p>.<p>"It is an undisputed fight, it should be the toughest fight out there, but I've always fancied him to beat Tyson Fury, always."</p>.<p>Fury has revealed he has asked his lawyers to help remove him from the BBC's sports personality of the year shortlist.</p>.<p>The heavyweight champion said he asked "politely" when he posted an Instagram message earlier this month.</p>.<p>But he has now taken further steps to be removed from the list of contenders and instructed his lawyers to send a letter to the BBC.</p>.<p>Fury's previous appearance on the shortlist in 2015 caused controversy, with more than 100,000 people signing a petition calling for the boxer's removal over a series of outspoken comments on homophobia and abortion.</p>.<p>But in 2018 Fury's omission from the final list, following his draw against Wilder, drew criticism from the boxer's camp.</p>.<p>This year's shortlist also includes Formula One world champion, world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.</p>