Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko rematch set for Las Vegas as Eddie Hearn jets out for secret talks over venue

Eddie Hearn has flown out to Las Vegas to discuss the possibility of Anthony Joshua's rematch with Wladimir Klitschko landing in Sin City.

The Matchroom boss was joined by his Head of Boxing Frank Smith and Joshua's manager Freddie Cunningham on the trip as talks progress into staging the money-spinning contest somewhere on the famous strip.

Cardiff's Principality Stadium was the early favourite to host the clash while a fight in Nigeria, where Joshua's mother was born, was also described as a distinct possibility by Hearn.

However, Las Vegas has emerged as the most likely destination in recent weeks with Hearn and his team understood to be visiting possible sites during their trip.

Joshua himself is expected to fly out to Vegas later this week and will spend some time on holiday there before heading back to begin the next stage of his training camp.

But the current WBA and IBF heavyweight champion remains in limbo as Klitschko is still yet to confirm whether or not he will accept the rematch or retire from the sport following back-to-back defeats.

The 41-year-old was beaten on points by Tyson Fury back in November 2015 and was then stopped by Joshua in the 11th round of their Wembley Stadium epic in April. Now he must decide whether he wants to box on, and has so far kept Joshua waiting on his decision.

It is believed that the all time great from the Ukraine was not keen on fighting in Cardiff this Autumn while it is unlikely that champion Joshua would be tempted to fight in Germany, which is Klitschko's adopted home.

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But it appears as though the lure of Las Vegas could be enough to ensure that Joshua and Klitschko meet again before the end of the year.

Klitschko has not boxed there for 14 years with all of his more recent visits to the States taking him to the East Coast instead. And, while his most recent fight in Vegas, against DaVarryl Williamson in 2004, ended in a fifth round stoppage he has mixed memories of boxing in the famous gambling hotspot.

Just six months before that win over Williamson, Klitschko was stopped in the fifth round by Lamon Brewster at the Mandalay Bay when challenging for the WBO title – and the loss almost resulted in his retirement. However, he rebuilt from there and did not lose again for over a decade, until Fury shocked him in Dusseldorf.

Incidentally, the Mandalay Bay will be one of the most likely venues for Joshua-Klitschko II, along with the MGM Grand Garden Arena and potentially the T-Mobile Arena, depending on demand for tickets.

Joshua, meanwhile, had worried that his previous convictions for drug offences may preclude him from obtaining a Visa to ever compete in America.

But he was granted one after a nervous day of meetings at the US Embassy earlier this year, leaving him free to box across the pond.

“I had to go to the embassy like everyone else, queue up and wait around all day,” he said in February. “I had to get a lawyer to get all the paperwork done so it was a long process but we got there in the end.

“It was good to get it sorted. To have my Visa is a big thing for me going forward. Boxing in Vegas as a professional is my big dream. Everyone wants to go there.”

Now Joshua, who actually competed as an amateur on a low-key club show at Vegas' Hard Rock Cafe almost a decade ago, appears one step closer to that dream coming true.