Eddie Hearn wants Anthony Joshua to face Tyson Fury next, regardless of the outcome of Fury’s rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on December 21.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Hearn says if Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) is beaten by WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion Usyk, a fight between him and Joshua would be a “huge” one. Fury could face Joshua in a voluntary defense of his three titles if he prevails.
It makes sense for Hearn to make a fight between Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) and Fury because there is a lot of money on the table from Saudi Arabia.
With all that money Joshua could get for a fight against Fury, he’d be insane to ignore it. Joshua is wealthy, with a net worth now estimated at £200 millionbut adding another $100 million would make it worth it. The most that Joshua will have to worry about going into the fight against Fury is being beaten on the canvas.
AJ would stand a better chance of defeating the 36-year-old Fury than in a rematch against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. It would be foolish of Joshua to risk fighting Dubois again after what happened last Saturday night. Dubois stopped Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium, and it was hard to watch.
“My advice is not to do anything before December 21 – the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury rematch,” Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports Boxing about his plans for Anthony Joshua’s next fight. “If Fury loses it could set up a big fight against Joshua, if Fury wins he could take a voluntary defense against Joshua. It’s still the biggest fight in the division by a mile.”
Things could look shaky for a Fury-Joshua fight if Usyk knocks Fury out on December 21. It will look bad if Fury and Joshua are both coming off knockout losses when they meet in 2025. The British boxing public will not tolerate a fight between their two heroes if both come with KO losses.
Fury, 6’8″, has the size to make it the full 12 round distance against Usyk in a losing effort, especially if a referee can help by giving him timeouts when he’s hurt. Fury was last saved in the ninth round by a referee who gave him a standing eight count after he was out on his feet after absorbing 20 consecutive unanswered head shots from Usyk.
🗣️ “My advice is to do nothing before December 21! – Usyk vs Fury”
Eddie Hearn discusses what options are available to Anthony Joshua after his loss to Daniel Dubois and whether he could finally face Tyson Fury 🥊 pic.twitter.com/SjWby8r0Sc
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 23, 2024
