Anthony Joshua picks his next opponent, and Eddie Hearn shares the details
Anthony Joshua has picked his next opponent, and it’s not Tyson Fury, as Eddie Hearn has shared.
After being out of the ring for over a year, the British boxing star made his comeback at the end of last year, facing YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Joshua knocked Paul down twice in the fifth round and finished the fight in the sixth.
Since then, fans have been excited to see who Joshua will fight next. Many were hoping for a big battle with Tyson Fury, especially now that Fury returned from retirement earlier this month.
But Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s long-time promoter, has confirmed that Fury isn’t the first opponent Joshua wants to face. Instead, Joshua wants to fight his old rival Deontay Wilder first.
In an interview with TalkSport, Hearn explained that while a fight with Fury is definitely coming, Joshua wants to have a “warm-up” fight first. Most expected a less challenging opponent, but Joshua is eager to take on Wilder, especially after Wilder’s recent win over Derek Chisora.
However, the Saudi Arabian promoters who are helping organize the big Joshua vs. Fury fight don’t want Wilder involved right now, seeing it as too risky. They’ve offered Joshua a two-fight deal that doesn’t include Wilder.
Hearn said, “The deal we’ve been offered is to fight in July and then face Tyson Fury in November, but it doesn’t include Deontay Wilder. The people organizing the fight don’t want that matchup at this stage. AJ has told me he’s happy to fight Wilder and Fury back-to-back. This offer was made by Turki Alalshikh, Ring, and Riyadh Season, and it looks like the plan we’ll follow.”
Hearn also shared that he thinks Wilder and Fury would make a perfect two-fight setup but understands why the promoters want to keep things safe for the big Fury fight.
He added, “If we were promoting the event, I’d want to go Wilder first and then Fury. But this deal puts Fury as the main goal. A lot of people don’t want to risk that by adding Wilder in between. We’re happy to fight Wilder, but probably not under this deal.”