'We have to fight Tyson Fury': Anthony Joshua's future from Hearn's perspective
09/25/2024 03:32 PM
Eddie Hearn sees Tyson Fury as Anthony Joshua's best option after losing to Daniel Dubois.
Even after last Saturday's devastating loss to Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua remains one of the biggest names in boxing, and the question of what he does next is a hot topic.
In a new sitdown interview following last weekend, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn told DAZN that he sees two clear options for Joshua: rematching Dubois or finally facing Fury.
Hearn expects Joshua to want to do the Dubois rematch, but seems to feel the bigger and better option is a pair of fights with Fury next year.
"I think the next move is probably the most important of his career so far. I think (Joshua), as he's proven with Ruiz and Usyk, will only want to do one thing, which is to rematch Daniel Dubois and put the wrong right," Hearn said.
"We have within our contract ... the option to do the rematch. I'm pretty sure after all my conversations so far with (Turki Alalshikh) — and we'll see him with AJ later today — he wants the immediate rematch. Daniel Dubois will probably have no problem with the immediate rematch; he just won the fight by stoppage and it's the biggest fight out there for him.
"Do we want the rematch? Is it the right move next? Now, again, taking away AJ's emotion, taking away the fighter in him, taking away the pride, do we wait for December 21st and see what happens with Tyson Fury, or do we jump straight back into Daniel Dubois? Daniel Dubois is probably going to fight in February. Are we ready to go in February? Is that the right move for us? That's the next decision.
"For me, we have to fight Tyson Fury before it's done."
Hearn added that he expects Joshua, 34, has "between one and three fights" left in his boxing career.
"He don't want to leave the sport. He loves it! But we as a team will make sure that he leaves the sport at the right time," Hearn said. "You leave when you're deteriorating and when it's showing in the gym, when you're not sparring well, you're getting hurt in sparring, et cetera. And none of that's happening, by the way. He was in that camp, they were going, 'Wow, our best camp, best form,' everything.
"So if Tyson Fury loses against Oleksandr Usyk, my advice would be for (Fury and Joshua) to have two fights in 2025 and then sail off into the sunset. May the best man win. If Fury wins against Usyk, AJ can fight Fury for the unified world heavyweight championship."
