The promoter of the match room, Eddie Hearn, rejected the idea of Anthony Joshua to take a fight against retired 41-year-old Andre Ward.
Hearn mentions that former super-middleweight and light heavyweight champion Ward (32-0, 16 COs) would not deliver the ‘numbers’ commercially that Ward’s team thinks it would be. He says that Ward was one of the best fighters in his generation but it was, but it was that ‘A while ago. ‘
Ward’s lack of appeal
The fighters on which Hearn focused for Joshua, Jake Paul and Tyson Fury would be big commercial draws, which AJ earns a lot of money. That’s what 35-year-old Joshua wants at this late stage of his career, the greatest possible pay days.
‘SOG’ Ward has not fought since 2017, and it is a long time to be inactive for a fighter who was never one of the big PPVs when he fought. It’s not like Mike Tyson comes back from the ring after 20 years.
Ward was not a massive star when he fought, and his last two competitions against Sergey Kovalev in 2016 and 2017 were ugly to look at, fights where many people climbed and wrestled. It wasn’t pleasant for fans to look at, and both battles had controversy around the outcome.
“We are negotiating with Nikisa (Badarian) and Jake Paul about the possibility of having that fight. The Tyson Fury fight. Now Andre Ward calls him out,” said Eddie Hearn, chairman of the match room. Australian box centraland his thoughts on the retired 41-year-old former two divisions world champion Andre Ward, and Anthony Joshua.
The battle between Joshua and Jake Paul is targeted in early 2026. Hearn has not yet said who, if someone, will fight AJ in 2025. Although Fury will be practicing with his father this week before “big” caravan wagon, it is questionable whether he is interested in fighting Joshua this year. So, technically, Joshua would be free to fight Andre Ward, but financially it would not be sold compared to the fighting Hearn watches.
“For me, I don’t think the fight (Ward) is as great as some people think, especially of Andre’s team. Andre was an incredible fighter, one of the best of the generation, but it was a while ago,” Hearn said about Ward.
Andre should have returned long ago if he wanted to get the profitable fights against stars like Joshua. This is his mistake.
“Obviously, if we look at Jake Paul, Tyson Fury and this kind of fighting, I think of what Andre Ward can expect in that fight,” Hearn says. “I think they would be very disappointed in the ads of the struggle. I’m just honest. It’s not even something I looked at with him (Joshua).
“I know that Joshua would take the fight, but I think if it spits out the numbers, it won’t be entirely as they look,” Hearn said of a collision with Ward. And of course, when we talk about a Jake Paul fight (it’s a much bigger one). ‘
Last updated on 08/24/2025
