Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury may finally have deals in place for a long-awaited heavyweight fight later this year, but Eddie Hearn says the entire event will disappear if either loses a warm-up bout.
Joshua is scheduled to return against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on July 25, while Fury is expected to take a summer set-up of his own ahead of the planned November clash. Hearn made it clear there was no room for error.
“In my opinion, if one of the fighters loses, you can’t do the fight,” Hearn said Sky Sports. “I’ll feel sick at the ringwalk on July 25. Especially with what AJ’s come back from. I mean, there’s that worry. Will he be the same? Everything we see in camp and in sparring lends us to say yes. But there’s a lot to overcome. That’s the importance of this fight in July as well.
“Now we’ve signed to fight Tyson Fury. He’s signed to fight Anthony Joshua. The only thing standing in the way is July 25.”
Hearn believes Fury could even appear on the same Riyadh card as Joshua, although he expects the former WBC heavyweight champion to take a lower-risk opponent as he focuses on getting to the main event later this year.
“We don’t have a problem with that. It’s up to Turki to see where he wants to land. It could be difficult for Fury to go under Joshua on that card I don’t know,” Hearn said.
“I don’t think he’s going to have a fight of any significance, not even like Makhmudov. I don’t even think they’ll have a fight at that level. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. They’ve just had 12 good rounds, and we’re looking forward to hopefully less rounds than that, but to go through the gears and warm up.
“I think everyone is extremely focused, now that both fighters have signed, to just get through the next few months and make sure we can give the world this mega event.”
Hearn also expects Fury to attend Joshua’s return on July 25 if plans remain on track for the November showdown.
“I would be shocked if he wasn’t in Riyadh on July 25. Because this is the moment,” Hearn said. “They have never come face to face before. When they come face to face for the first time, it will give every sports fan the chills. Because it is something they will never forget.”
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Last updated on 2026/05/16 at 12:52
