Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury calls Anthony Joshua fight off after self-imposed deadline passes; Eddie Hearn says talks still on table

There is a self-imposed 5 pm. Anthony Joshua pulled the deal off the table after the Monday deadline because he didn't have a signed contract for the fight.

"Well, guys, it's official," he said in a video posted to his account. The day has passed. The time was past 5 o'clock Monday. No agreement has been reached.

Few in the boxing industry thought the talks would result in a deal, despite the fact that the two men have been talking for weeks. The most recent loss for Joshua was to Oleksandr Usyk.

The public deadline for a complicated negotiation raised more questions about the seriousness of the talks.

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing said that there were positive calls between the promoter and broadcasters who are working hard to finalize the fight. There has been no deadline between the parties, but we are moving at a fast pace to conclude the deal.

Several obstacles remained for a bout that would be expected to generate nine figures in revenue, despite the sides agreeing to a 60-40 split. The network problem needs to be solved. In the U.S. and the UK, Joshua is with a pay-per-view service.

The biggest issue was the seriousness of the fight. After calling off his retirement, he was expected to face Usyk for the undisputed title. "The Gypsy King" wants to fight before the end of the year, while Usyk will not be fighting until the spring.

If Joshua doesn't sign by the deadline, he'll face a fringe contender in the form of Manuel Charr. The promoter said last week that he believed Fury was interested in fighting Charr.

It makes sense to fight Charr, a 37 year old German fighter. He could stay busy with an easy win while waiting for Usyk and the three belts. On December 3 in the U.K., there will be a fight between Fury and Charr.

"You have had the contract for 10 days now, Tyson," he said in the video. The drop-dead day is today. I won't extend until tomorrow. I won't go until tomorrow if it isn't signed.

"It's officially over for Joshua, he's now out in the cold," he said in his video.

Now that the fight appears to be dead, Joshua could look for a confidence-building win in his next fight.