Hearn held talks with Wilder's promoters in New York on Thursday and says they just are eager to arrange a mega-fight between the two unbeaten heavyweights.

"We're all optimistic," Hearn told Sky Sports News. "[The meeting] was positive and now we move forward.

"We look at the venues, crunch the numbers and get to the nitty gritty of negotiations, which will be over the next couple of weeks.

Wilder has called on Joshua to set the date for a potential unification showdown

"I think there's a willingness from both camps to do it next. We also talked about waiting until summer.

"There are lots of different permutations right now, different venue options as well, talk of one fight in America and one in the UK. But also the understanding that this is a huge fight and one we must get made in 2018.

"It will be the most talked-about event the world over - 59-0 with 58 KOs between them. We're all excited because we love boxing.

 

 

Tony Bellew has described the potential unification fight between Joshua and Wilder as a 'megafight' that the whole world should see

"We want to make the big fights but also make great business; we have to do what's right for our clients. But Joshua wants this fight bad and so does Wilder.

"Fingers crossed the next couple of weeks play out well, we have a good Christmas, and hopefully a nice present for fight fans in 2018."