Eddie Hearn, promoter of Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, has stated that Joshua is open to a fight with Tyson Fury as he considers his next steps in boxing.
Joshua faces a lengthy wait for his anticipated matchup with Fury as he carefully plans his return following a disappointing defeat to Daniel Dubois. The knockout loss in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium in September marked a significant setback for Joshua, leaving him to navigate his path in the competitive heavyweight division.
Despite this recent defeat, Hearn maintains that Joshua is still “arguably the biggest star in the heavyweight division.” He remains hopeful about a potential clash with Fury, suggesting that regardless of the outcome of Fury’s upcoming fight with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21, Fury would be keen to face Joshua next.
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“I think Fury, win or lose, will want to fight AJ next, and that’s something we’ve got to decide,” Hearn remarked in an interview with Sky Sports, indicating that the long-awaited all-British bout may still be possible.
However, Frank Warren, co-promoter of Tyson Fury, expressed skepticism about Joshua’s immediate prospects in the division, stressing the need for Joshua to rebuild his credibility with fans and promoters.
“He’s got to establish some credibility, AJ, that’s for sure,” Warren noted, highlighting the challenges Joshua faces in securing high-profile matchups again.
The path back to championship contention looks challenging for Joshua. He is interested in a rematch with Dubois, but that option appears unlikely in the near future. Warren confirmed that Dubois is set to defend his IBF heavyweight title on February 22 against an opponent yet to be announced, with negotiations ongoing.
“I don’t see that (the Joshua rematch) happening next, so we are looking at a couple of things at the moment. I was hoping that we could get it done fairly quickly, but we won’t be able to get it done that soon,” Warren explained in an interview with BoxNation.