Eddie Hearn wants Anthony Joshua to face Tyson Fury next, regardless of the outcome of Fury’s rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Hearn says that 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 “big” one. Fury could face Joshua in a voluntary defense of his three titles if he is victorious.
It’s logical for Hearn to make a fight between Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) and Fury because there’s a lot of money on the table from Saudi Arabia.
With all that money Joshua can get for a fight against Fury, he would be insane to ignore it. Joshua is wealthy, with a net worth estimated now at £200 million, but adding another $100 million would make it well worth it. The most Joshua would have to worry about fighting Fury is being slapped to 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 on Joshua’s part to take the risk of 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 don’t do anything until Dec 21st – 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 vs Joshua, if Fury wins he could take a voluntary defence vs. 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 out Fury on December 21st. That would look bad if Fury and Joshua are both coming off knockout losses when they meet in 2025. The British boxing public won’t tolerate a fight between their two heroes if both are coming off 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 out by giving him timeouts when he’s hurt. Last time, Fury was 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 headshots from Usyk.
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